Ryan Robert Sims

Born in Austin on October 7, 1972 to Robert Earl Sims and Carol Eidschun Sims, Ryan was an adventurous athlete growing up, playing soccer, football, baseball, and snow skiing. He graduated from Westlake High School in 1991 where he played golf and lacrosse and was an avid cyclist. The day after graduating from Westlake, Ryan rode in the 3000-mile Coast to Coast Bicycle Classic from Seattle to Asbury Park, NJ, raising money for Austin Smiles, a local charity. Shortly after finishing this ride, he began classes at Texas A&M University, earning a 3.8 grade point average in Engineering with little visible effort before switching his major to History his junior year. During his time in college, Ryan discovered a love for surfing while taking summer classes at the University of California at Irvine.

After graduating from A&M in 1995, Ryan moved to San Diego, CA, the town he would call home for the next 25 years. In 1999, he passed the famously-difficult Cisco CCIE exam on his first try – a rare feat. His technical acumen helped launch his career as a Network Engineer at Qualcomm where he managed various projects both locally and abroad. June 26, 2004, Ryan married the love of his life, Lisa Henberger. They built a family in San Diego where they had three beautiful children. In 2021, they moved to Austin, TX where they eventually moved into a gorgeous home near Bee Cave, TX.

A man with wide-ranging interests, Ryan collected vintage surfboards, was an ardent snowboarder who chased Sierra snowstorms and was an obsessive ‘ultra-light’ backpacker – even going so far as to sew his own custom backpack and tent. In his forties, he began paragliding at Torrey Pines Gliderport near San Diego, a pursuit that inspired him (and others) for many years. On one occasion, he even took his mother skydiving. Ryan loved the outdoors, a love that began with his family’s annual road trips to Colorado. He carried this affinity for the mountains with him to California where he spent many summers climbing in Yosemite, eventually summiting the Matterhorn and leading a summit attempt on Mt. Ritter with his wife Lisa in 2006.

A true Austinite, Ryan had a passion for music that began at a young age. As a boy, he learned classical guitar and grew into a talented blues guitarist. A connoisseur of life, Ryan excelled at everything he put his hand to, always looking for the best and smartest way to do anything.

Ryan possessed an extraordinary generosity of spirit and cared deeply about his family and friends, showing hospitality, thoughtfulness, and kindness to everyone with whom he crossed paths. He loved his Lord Jesus Christ since he was a little boy. He sought the Lord’s counsel and voice in every decision. He pursued the Lord throughout his life in a genuine way, meditating on God, and his purpose in life, truly seeking a relationship with the Father.

Ryan is survived by his wife, Lisa Sims, and three children, Sebastian, Audrey and Ava, mother Carol Eidschun Sims, brother Jonathan married to Amy Broline Sims and their children, Preston, Abigail, and Hallie, and brother Benjamin married to Corina Lucas and their children Claire, Julia, Chloe, and Judah.

A burial service will be held at Austin Memorial Park Cemetery, Friday, Dec 16 2022 at 10:00 am, 2800 Hancock Dr, Austin, TX 78731.

A memorial service will be held at Hope Rock Church, Saturday, Dec 17, 2022 at 10:00 am, 1310 Ranch Rd 620 S A16, Lakeway, TX 78734.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the GoFundMe to support Lisa and children. You may click below under donations to go directly to the GoFundMe site.