Ryan Michaels

Obituary of Ryan Michaels
December 18, 1980 - October 23, 2025
Ryan Michaels. Age 44.
Beloved son of Donna Marie Livingston (Todd Dostaler) and Mark Michaels. Loving brother of Alex Livingston. Dearest grandson of Carmen and Rod Pfander. He is also survived by his Aunt Wendy (Thomas) Brooks; stepfather, Gary Livingston; stepsister Kathleen (Jeremy) Currier; as well as by many cousins, nieces and nephews. Ryan will be dearly missed by his family and friends, especially his best friend, Lindsay Gamble, her daughter Lili Kate Gregg, and "Mutha" Lisa Gamble.
Ryan had a fascination with all things macabre. His mom remembers he would watch the Thriller video when he was just 3 years old - the start of his Zombie obsession! He was obsessed with horror movies and as he got older, he would have get-togethers with friends and watch scary movies all night, sometimes it'd be the latest horror film to come out, a B Movie or some old favorites, such as Halloween, Friday the 13th, Night of the Living Dead or any other zombie film.
Music was a huge part of Ryan's life. When it came to music, he didn't just listen to it, he related to it and it spoke to him. Some of his favorite bands were Tool, Type O Negative, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Disturbed, David Bowie, Faith No More, Rob Zombie and HIM. He enjoyed concerts and had the honor of meeting some of his heroes such as Trent Reznor and Peter Steele. He also enjoyed creating music - whether it was playing his guitar, drums or on the computer.
Ryan worked as a computer programmer for many years. It wasn't just a job, it was his life and he started very young. His best friend remembers going to the book store at 14 and while she bought the latest TeenBeat magazine, Ryan was buying C++ tutorial books. He had his first job as a programmer at the age of 16 and continued working as a programmer into his 40s. As a result of his vast computer knowledge, he became the resident IT guru for his friends and family (not sure if that was a blessing or curse, but he was always there to help, even if it was just to set up a modem in the house).
One thing Ryan will be remembered for is his sense of humor - he was quick witted and always ready to fire off a funny movie quote. He enjoyed comedy movies and sitcoms, his favorite was Modern Family. He would binge watch reruns for days and would argue that it was one of the funniest sitcoms to ever air. He was a huge fan of Saturday Night Live, especially Will Ferrell - it could have been the curly hair they had in common that added to his appeal. He was also a big fan of Howard Stern, one of his favorites was when Richard and Sal did their Tradio prank calls.
He loved summer weather, especially spending time at his best friend's house relaxing in the pool and listening to music (although he'd get frustrated about the terrible music he was subjected to), barbequing and as the nights would start to cool down - sitting around the bonfire just laughing and spending time together.
Ryan had a huge impact on everyone he met and he will truly be missed by all those that had the honor to know him.
A private memorial will be held at a later date.