Ryan Joseph Hummer

Ryan Joseph Hummer, the son of Danielle Craig Hummer and Ray Hummer and brother of Allie Hummer of Longmont, passed away Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. A sophomore at Silver Creek High School, Ryan was born in Boulder and spent his early childhood there before moving to Longmont.

Ryan had a beautiful singing voice and was a member of the boys Cantore choir at his school. He also had a flair for the theatrical and often entertained friends and strangers with spot-on imitations of foreign accents. Once, when snake hunting with friends, he put on a thick British accent that drew a group of younger children around him thinking he was a visiting snake expert.

On another occasion family friends dining at a local eatery saw a busboy they thought was Ryan speaking to customers in a perfect German accent and claiming to be a student from abroad enrolled at CU. Incredulous and confused, they asked the owner who the busboy was and were told he had just started and his name was Ryan Hummer.

The news of Ryan’s death hit classmates at Silver Creek very hard. A school friend said a room was set aside for students to gather and grieve and that it became so crowded a second room had to be found. Ryan always dressed nicely and in the days after his death his friends started dressing up for school in Ryan’s memory.

Friends and their parents described Ryan as a very intelligent, polite teen with an ambition to help others. They said he hoped to serve in the military. A close friend said he had a huge impact on others and could make anybody happy whether or not he was happy himself. Another said he had a special ability to make friends with anyone. And a younger female student said Ryan would walk her home from the bus and often break out into a favorite song in his rich tenor voice.

Though he struggled with Attention Deficit Disorder and depression, Ryan was intellectually gifted. He studied German history, especially from 1932 to the close of WWII, and spoke and wrote German, in which he was self-taught. Choir was the one area of school where he blossomed, though he was modest about his voice, even though his choir teacher used his voice as an example of excellence. Choir was such a joy to Ryan that he and a few friends would stay after rehearsals and sing until they were kicked out of the room.

A memorial service will take place Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016 at 1 p.m., at Calvary Church, 2101 Gay St. A reception with snacks will follow the service. We are asking any students to bring their voices and instruments for a jam session in honor of Ryan. He loved his cat Moon Pie and his family asks that in lieu of flowers, friends donate to the Longmont Humane Society, 9595 Nelson Road.