This page is dedicated to the special memories of close family and friends of Ryan's. There is a lot of content to read but each and every word tells the story of the kind of person Ryan was. Please take the time to read these wonderful stories and learn something about Ryan that you may not have known. If you would like to submit a story of your own about Ryan, there is a submission form at the bottom of the page which you can fill out or you can E-mail your story to the Wizorek Family or the Webmaster of this site. Thank you for sharing your memories of Ryan. Below are direct links to the letters sent by family and friends to make it easier to read only those letters that you wish to read. Also, you can submit your own story about Ryan by using the link below.
  [  Submit a Story About Ryan ]
  [ Dad ]  [ Eric ]   [ Grandma ]  [ Grandma & Grandpa ]  
 [ Great Grandma Rosie ]  [ Aunt Janet & Uncle Mike ]  
[ Aunt Barb & Uncle Larry ]  [ Cousin Kyle ]  [ Amber ]   
[ Amber & Alicia ]  [ Matt ]  [ Uncle Dave ]
[ Anne Lavazza and Erica ]  [ Ryan's 2003 Christmas letter ]

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If you would like to have one of these "Wizo" tribute stickers, You can e-mail the Wizorek Family using the e-mail link at the bottom of the page. Hurry, while they last!!

AboutRyan........
     What can I say-I guess I'll start at the beginning. Ryan's birth was very much anticipated. After the loss of our first son, Ryan was a blessing. What a beautiful, happy baby. He was the only grandson on either side of our families, so he got a lot of attention. Ryan was very photogenic, many times we were told that he should have been a baby model. When Ryan was 16 months old, he got a baby brother-Eric. Ryan and Eric were always the best of buddies. Oh sure they fought like brothers do, but they also couldn't get along without each other. Ryan was a very out going child. He would talk to anyone, he liked to go places and meet people. I think Ryan's ability to relate to adults came from his Grandma Marlene and Great-Grandma Rosie, who watched him and Eric a few days a week while I was at work.                                                              
Ryan really liked school (even though he would say he didn't). He might not of been the best student academically, but he loved to go there every day just to socialize. All of the teachers told me that Ryan was a free spirit, and a daydreamer, but we already knew that. We never wanted to change that part of him. He always had many friends, both boys and girls of all age groups. Ryan could find a way to get along with just about anyone. He really had a great group of friends that he could count on.

      
     Growing up, Ryan tried all kinds of sports. During winter break when Ryan was younger we taught him how to snow ski. I can't say that Ryan had a favorite season, because he liked them all. He loved the snow. It didn't matter what he was out there doing, shoveling, sledding down the hill next to the house, or building  forts in the huge pile of snow at the end of the street, he could spend all day out there in it .      
      Ryan was also on the swim team for the park district one season. He loved to swim, so when he was 7 we put the pool in the back yard. It didn't matter what Ryan was doing, he really enjoyed being outside. In our neighborhood you could always find Ryan zooming around on his green bicycle. He was a great helper in the yard and with all of our pets. Ryan also liked to play basketball, skateboard, and rollerblade.      
     Like any kid growing up these days, Ryan liked to watch TV, movies, and play video games. He really enjoyed watching the monster truck shows, Nascar races, drag racing, anything to do with motor cross, shows like the X-games and of course music videos. So over the last few years as a family we did all these things. We took the boys to drag races, monster truck shows, Nascar races, motor cross races and stunt shows, and had a blast at a couple of rock concerts!
     Green was Ryan's favorite color and now that he was becoming a teenager his latest passions were hanging out with the guys, girls, music and riding his dirt bike. He was into rock, alternative and metal. Ryan always wanted to get a tattoo like his father when he turned of age and he and I would visit the local Tattoo Parlor each time I went to visit or have work done. We are not sure exactly what kind of tattoo Ryan would have gotten but you could be sure that it would probably have something to do with motorcycles, but sadly that is something else he will never get to do.  Ryan was a dreamer and he wanted to be somebody famous, and we always believed that was going to happen for him. Ryan's smile was contagious, and he was always polite with a hello.
     Our lives revolved around our boys, and I am so glad that we did as much with Ryan together as a family as we could. We always had a great time together. It just saddens  us that Ryan will never get to fulfill all of his dreams and we will never be able to see him do that. Ryan made us proud in everything he did. For having such a wonderful and out- going personality, you just had to smile every time you saw him.
      Ryan is missed so much by all his family and friends, but he will never be forgotten!!!
Always on our minds and in our hearts..........always and forever  Ryan we love you.
                                                       Mom &Dad  

From Dad;

     From day one Ryan was special, we had lost his brother Brandon in June of 1989. Cher and I tried for another child but things just were not working for us. So when we found out she was pregnant we were ecstatic. Along came Ryan, a bundle of joy always a happy baby then soon after Eric. Having boys 16 months apart sometimes is a challenge but if you look at all the pictures on this website you can see the partners in crime. NEVER a dull moment and not one picture of these boys together are they sad or mad. ALWAYS a smile on their faces. We have hundreds, maybe even thousands of pictures of these two together, but I wish I had more.   Pictures just don't fill the emptiness inside. So here’s a list of  my things I MISS about Ryan:

 I Miss trying to wake him up in the morning before school. Ryan was NOT a morning person. Some days I had to threaten him to get him up. 

 I Miss him hugging me when I come home from work Everyday. Every night he would wait for me, wrap his arms around me and say Daaaaaddddddddddyyyyyyyyy, with his head on my chest. 

 I Miss him eating a half box of cereal at one sitting.

 I Miss the phone ringing off the wall at all hours. 

 I Miss Ryan and Eric Fighting.  As ALL kids do. Even over the littlest things.

 I'll Miss him helping me work on the bikes, working around the yard. 

When Ryan set his mind to something he usually went above and beyond what was needed.

 I Miss His laugh, Dance and smell.

 I Miss All his friends that came to our house.

 I Miss tucking him in at bed time. Which was every-night.

 I Miss Him going to work with me. Everyone Loved him there.

 I Miss how on your Worst day, Somehow he could make you laugh or smile.

 I Miss Ryan.
 But most of all I Miss Telling him how much I LOVE Him.
 Ryan Was and Will always be a big part of My life. He was MY best friend and I can't wait to see him Again.

 Love Always and Forever,
DAD

My Brother Ryan
By: Eric

     Sometimes I could crack Ryan up with one word. I remember a time while we were in Wisconsin and it was time to go to bed. We had to share a bed because the trailer wasn't big enough. It was silent and all of a sudden I said something and Ryan laughed for 10 minutes, it sure must have been funny to him.
     I can admit that Ryan sure did get on my nerves sometimes. Not once can I remember something to actually yell at him about, but when we got mad at each other, it was on! Our parents would have to ground us and they really got annoyed from us fighting. 
     Ryan was definitely goofy sometimes. I remember him coming home from school and dancing through the house for no reason at all. The last day of school, he'd dance down the sidewalk (his clap and skip dance) because he was done with school.
     Ryan really loved to ride his dirtbike. If he could have, he would have rode for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I loved riding with him. We would race each other to the top of the hill in our backyard or to the jump sometimes at the motocross track.
     On the 13th of November, I remember Ryan and I making the career poster for our language class. Everything Ryan wanted to do he put on the poster.
     I really miss Ryan. I just wish he could have done a lot more with his life. I wish he could have done everything he wanted to do. He should have been able to accomplish everything he wanted to do.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF MY BROTHER
RYAN "WIZO" WIZOREK
MAY 23, 1991 - NOVEMBER  14, 2004
LOVE ERIC

RYAN:

     Ryan is my only grandchild where I was present at his birth. That was such a happy time for me. I have a picture of us together when he was only minutes old.
     I have so many wonderful memories of Ryan that it is difficult to choose one, but one of my fondest is Ryan dancing at Kathy Rohr’s wedding. He didn’t want to dance with anyone even though we tried to partner him up with some cute little girls. He wanted the spotlight on himself and he knew how to steal the show !  At 8 years old he could dance like the Jackson 5!
     He was competitive, exuberant and funny. Three summers ago he had just returned from vacationing in Wisconsin with his Grandma and Grandpa Wizorek and Eric, and I had come to visit them.  He was so excited to tell me about this fantastic, beautiful, great resort they had stopped at, and kept saying “ Grandma, you should go there some day”. I told him, ”Ryan, I don’t even know where this place is”. He proceeds to bring out a bag full of brochures to give me! Ah, the excitement of a child, that’s my RYAN.

 Love,
Grandma

     Ryan: My buddy, pal, helper and blues chaser all wrapped up in one.
But one more, my "Great- Grandson". Born May 23rd and I remember
seeing him through the glass window and the feeling of joy. He was
mine in all the sense of being. I also remember words spoken so casually,
"Here today, gone tomorrow", "We are here for a little while", and "I give
him to you, not to keep, cause he his mine", says the Lord. I watched over
his first steps, heard some of his first words, and walked with him to his
first day of school.   I helped teach Ryan to ride a tricycle and later a bike
so he could do "wheelies". He was mine not to keep only to borrow. When
asked what he wanted to do when he grew up it was always the same.
 Ryan wanted people to laugh and to love one another and that was him
to the very end. He had the ability to put broken pieces back together
through his laughter and "clownish" ways. 
     Ryan was only thirteen years old but the cheer and love he poured
forth showed in his last days with us. From neighbors who saw him
day to day, to his friends at school they came to say "Thank You Ryan"
for making my days happier. All the acts of kindness shown to us does
not erase the sorrow of us being apart but I will hear and remember his
words from another time. At the loss of his Great Grandpa Ryan said,
"Remember Gram you're not the only one in the whole world who has lost
someone". He was only six at the time. Life was something that Ryan
cherished and he lived it to the fullest for thirteen years.                                                                         

Love you forever Ryan!!                                      
Grandma Rosie

My Visit With Ryan

  Yes, I do go to the place of his rest because I remember his
smile which nothing can erase. I remember the good times we
enjoyed. I feel lifted because his spirit is with me and as long as
I live he too lives on. A smile is kindness and it’s another word
for love. A smile is like the sun breaking through the clouds.
Remember his smile and peace and love will come forth.
Love you Ryan!!                   

 Grandma Rosie                                                                                                                                                                                                            

For Ryan:

 We miss you in the morning when all the world is new.
 We know the day can bring no joy, because it brings not you.
 We miss your smile, your voice the joy and charm of you.
 The world is full of people it's true, but there was only one of you.

 God has cheated us all in taking you away from us so soon. He only gave us a peek into your life. We watched you from babyhood to childhood too... the best was yet to come. So many dreams to be realized. Thinking of you brings the nicest memories and a sorrow that comes to our hearts so constantly. We are so grateful for the years that we got to share in your life. Your name will always remain in our hearts. It will be spoken and shared in the gentlest prayers, and you will be with us forever. One of the most special places in our hearts will be saved for you Ryan

Love and miss you,

Aunt Janet and Uncle Mike

Dear Ryan,
      Please let me thank you for 13 of the most memorable years of my life. From the moment I saw you, I knew God had sent us a child that would touch our hearts and souls forever. The day you were baptized, I saw a angel in a beautiful white gown smiling at me, and from that day forward your smiles were contagious. Because you truly loved people, and could relate to all generations, we felt as if you were reading our hearts and minds. You always greeted us with a big smile, a hug or a kiss, and this was unconditional love. I'll never forget how many times you said to me "Auntie Barb, I just love my Family"
     Well, one hot summer day, Ryan, Eric, and myself went to Lake Will to spend the night. We went swimming and boating during the day, and at night we had a big camp fire. We would sit around the fire, past dark and tell stories. Well, it was getting pretty late, so Eric and I went into the camper to make the beds, and about 2 minutes later Ryan came running into the trailer screaming that a raccoon had jumped into the hammock, and scared the shit out of him. So Ryan locked us in the trailer, we loaded the bb gun and waited for the raccoon to leave. Well we never left the inside of the trailer again and Ryan even made us close all the windows so the raccoon wouldn't get inside.
     Ryan was very special to both Larry and I because he filled our lives with laughter and made us feel young at heart.  We will always remember his smiles.

   See---------My-----------Internal-----------Love------------Everywhere

Love you forever,
Auntie Barb and Uncle Larry

 Below is an actual Thank you letter sent from Ryan
 to his Uncle Dave after Christmas 2003:

    When Wizo and I were younger he never believed we were cousins. It was funny though, I always told him we were cousins and up until the last couple of years he never believed me. When he found out for sure that we were, we started hanging out. The past couple of years we hung out more and more. This past summer we had the most fun  because we hung out like almost everyday. We rode bikes around and just hung out at my house or his, or we went to Jesse's, Kyle's or Devin's. We all just chilled and had fun. We always played basketball at Devin's or listened to music at Kyle's. We never really knew how fast life changes until one of your best friends, even more your cousin, gets taken away from you. That one saying that goes, "You never know what you've got till it's gone", is still true today.

 R.I.P. WIZO                                                                                               

Kyle Myrick                                   

       This one is for Eric my little bro because if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have went out with Wizo in the first place, thanks Eric!! It all started in the summer when I would always be at Kobes house and Eric would always be there and I would always ask Eric if we could go swimming. He would ask his mom, she would say yes, and we would go. On the way over I would always say "Is your brother gonna be there," and of course yea he always was. Eric and Chris always told me Ryan liked me but I didn’t believe them so Eric and Kobe were like, do u like Ryan? I was like, of course not (of course I did) but I never thought he would like me.  We would chicken fight in the pool and Ryan would always tell me to call him when I got home. Chris spent the night that night I called Ryan we talked a while and then of course, he asked me out and I said yes and we hung up. Ryan went in to tell Eric and Chris and didn’t believe me. They called me back and I said I was going out with him and then Eric goes, “I knew you liked him!!” Thanks ERIC!!!!!!!!!

Love Amber!!!!

     I was with my friend Alicia and we would always go to his house when we would hang out and Alicia wanted to play Playstation. Wizo was like, only if I play Amber first. So we played and then Alicia and I tried it and Wizo was making fun of us because we had no idea how to play.     
Love Amber and Alicia!!!

     I was With Alicia again and we were at Wizo’s and he would always play his Slipknot and Mushroom Head and all that and never let Alicia or I listen to what we wanted to, so every time he left the room we would take the remote and turn our music on and hide it. He would always come in with his adorable frustrated face and try to find it. I would always have it in my hoodie pocket      
Love Alicia and Amber!!!

      Alicia and I were at Wizo’s AGAIN and I had always wanted his pajama pants and they were always lying on the bean bag so when Wizo left the room, Alicia said try them on, so I did!!  Wizo came in and said "What are you doing!!!!”  
Love Amber and Alicia!!!

     Wizo had always told me I needed to watch him ride his dirt bike at the track. So, the first time I went, I brought who else of course Alicia!! When we got there he had already fallen and wrecked a little of his bike and could not ride anymore so he sat there looking at his bike with the cutest face we just wanted to cry!! So he tried Eric’s bike but it was just a little too small. Then he tried Matt’s and it was just a little too big. So, Alicia, Wizo and I sat in the van and listened to music. Then Rich came with Hannah, Randi, and Danielle and Randi ran up to him and gave him a big hug. Wizo picked her up and was holding her like she was his little girl and Alicia said he would make a good dad, of course I agreed!!!  Then the next day at school he wrote me a note and said, "Do you really think I would make a good dad?  I guess that is something to be proud of."
Love Amber and Alicia!!!

    Ryan was my riding buddy.  My most memorable moments with Ryan were when we went riding, we always had fun. Ryan gave me that adrenaline to push harder when I was riding. When I was mad he would always make me happy. Whenever my bike was messed up he would allow me to ride his. He was a very fun friend to be around. I will never forget how mad me and Ryan would get when we couldn't jump the tabletop at Joliet MX, or when he couldn't go through the mud at Lockport . I will never forget about Ryan, I will never have a best friend like Ryan again.

 Love,

 Matt

With Love, 
Anne Lavazza and Erica

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