Ryan Park Markert

Ryan Christy Park Markert passed away unexpectedly on March 25, 2012, at the age of 18. He was too young to pass so quickly, and his loss is sad beyond words. Ryan is survived by his father, John T. Markert; his siblings, Erin Hayley, Sean Patrick, and Gwen Deirdre Park Markert; his step-mother, Jennifer L. Markert, and his step-siblings, Mazzy and Artie Zimmerman, all of Austin, Texas; his great uncle, Robert W. Christy, of Hanover, New Hampshire; his aunts and uncles, Deirdre Morris, of Friday Harbor, Washington; Robert Anthony and Frederick Park, of Carlsbad, California; Daniel and Anna Markert, of Dumont, New Jersey; Mary and Patrick Callanan, of Midland Park, New Jersey; Anthony and Patricia Markert, and Joseph and Kate Markert, all of Ridgefield, Connecticut; and Margaret Ann Markert, of Austin, Texas. He is also survived by twenty-one first cousins and twenty-seven children of first cousins. He was preceded in death by his mother, Christiana Park, his uncle, Francis Jerome Markert, and his grandparents, Sybil Ferriter Park and Robert Anders Park, and Margaret Mary (Bohn) Markert and Frank Daniel Markert. Ryan Park Markert was born August 11, 1993, to Christiana Park and John Markert, at St. David's Hospital in Austin, Texas. He attended the All-Austin Cooperative Nursery School in Austin during 1995–1998 and Pusteblume Kindergarten in Nordhorn, Germany in 1997. He attended Highland Park Elementary School during 1998–2003, Paragon Prep Middle School during 2003¬–2004, Kealing Magnet Middle School during 2005–2007, and LASA at LBJ High School during 2007–2009, before enrolling at Garza High School in 2009, where he graduated in 2011. For some years, he attended the Friends Meeting of Austin. He was accepted to The University of Texas at Austin in 2011. He was a National Merit Semifinalist. He had worked as a lifeguard for Austin Parks and Recreation. Ryan was full of spirit as child, always active and provocative. He loved to underline the occurrence in life of puzzles, contradictions, and enigmas, and was tickled to trick someone by clever construct to provide amusement. Ryan enjoyed his travels with relish, visiting Hawaii, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Poland, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, Switzerland, Belgium, and France, and loved coining phrases, from dubbing our Dutch thatched cottage of several months "the Mad Potter's House" to making "du bist ein schwein," at age 5, his first German sentence. He disliked the claim by many that he resembled Harry Potter. Ryan had affairs with basketball, soccer, and gymnastics, but chose rowing for his longest-lived cardiac outlet. He also enjoyed archery, skateboarding, and snowboarding. He was a Tiger Cub, later a Boy Scout, and an air soft enthusiast. Nursery school friendships persisted for the decade, and elementary school friends continued on and joined him as an enthusiastic host of many early-teen gatherings. He explored music with zest; he chose to take accordion and tabla drum lessons, each for several years, then settled on rock drums for some time; he hosted many jam sessions with guitar-, bass-, and drum-playing friends. Rock and reggae music were his inspiration and sustenance during play, work, travel, and study. He was often "Wry Guy" at home and "Parkie" to his closest friends, and he became a great devourer of political news, an expert on movies, a dedicated video gamer, a lover of quirks, and was well-known to be ready to chill with friends, near or far. Ryan was always kind to animals, and nurtured his beloved adopted stray, Puppy. He was deeply saddened by the death of his mother. He worked hard to graduate in the top 6% of his class, but struggled to find a vocation. Ryan was extremely private, never wanting to impose on anyone; he was concerned about health, and believed in living a simple life. He read books and links vociferously, and became a font of facts that he had absorbed. His best friends Paco, Emma, Chet, and Gordon saw him through many both good and bad times. Ryan Park Markert was brilliant with intellect; his interpretations showed an appreciation of the great complexity of experience. His feelings for his siblings, and all family and friends, were of overwhelming, personal concern and love. We mourn him deeply, and now his spirit must live on through us. Visitation will be at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, Sunday, April 1, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., with a gathering there in memory of Ryan beginning at 4:00 p.m. There will be a private burial service at Austin Memorial Park on Monday, April 2.