Ryan Leh Herbst

Ryan Leh Herbst Ryan Leh Herbst 37, passed away suddenly during the night at his home in Boise, Idaho on Thursday, March 26, 2009. A viewing will be held on Monday, March 30th at 3 p.m. at Bell Funeral Home, 9661 W. Chinden, Blvd. Boise. Funeral services will be held at 4 p.m following the viewing. Ryan was born June 24, 1971 in Solon, Iowa and lived in several different locations including Boise Idaho, Atlanta Ga. and Salt Lake City, Utah, where he graduated from Alta High School in 1988. Ryan was competitive by nature and loved sports. He was an excellent snow skier, golfer and billiards player. Ryan enjoyed camping and fishing with his family and friends especially when he could take his son Nicholas to the Idaho high country. Ryan was more than just a good father, and always put the needs of "Nick" at the top of his list. He loved to celebrate every holiday and couldn't wait to plan the birthday bash of the year for his son "Nick". As a single parent dad, he also gave credit to others (you know who you are) that helped him raise Nick and reminded us all that "it takes a village to raise a child". He enjoyed music, played the bass guitar and was a member a local band in Georgia called "Innasence", where he played some major gigs, and later wrote and recorded several songs. Ryan worked at a county club in Georgia as a greens keeper and part time bartender. Later he completed a course in Mixology and graduated as a professional bartender. Bartending was a great joy to Ryan for many reasons, but especially because he loved people and they loved to see him behind the bar. He had a good heart, cared about others and had an extremely infectious, dry sense of humor that always made you laugh and often made you pause to think about it. Ryan moved to Boise in 1997 and started a property maintenance business "Turn-Key Services" and worked for his mother's relocation and property management business for two years. He later shifted gears back to his love for music and became a Karaoke D.J. at the 44 Club and eventually took a full time position as bartender for the Fireside Inn where he worked for five years until his untimely death. All those that knew Ryan would agree he was very intelligent, interesting, extremely talented and lived life fully. Ryan is survived by his son Nicholas Shane Herbst (Boise), mother Kathleen A. Duggan-Lewis (Featherville, Idaho); father Lloyd Eugene Herbst (North Port); brother Chad Tracy Herbst (Boise), stepsister Stephanie Black (Maui, Hawaii), stepsister Stacy Johnson, (Atlanta, Ga.) fiance Tina Burdick (Boise); grandmother Retha Herbst (Mt. Vernon, Iowa); step-father John R. Lewis (Featherville, Idaho); step-mother June Herbst (North Port); extended family members and numerous loving friends who miss him dearly. He is preceded in death by grandparents Emmett and Velma Duggan (Jessup, Iowa) and grandfather Laverne Herbst (Mt. Vernon, Iowa). Well, as Ryan often quoted from the movie Forrest Gump, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get". God bless you Ryan, we love you and miss you and "it ain't over yet!" The family suggests, in lieu of flowers, that memorials be donated to a trust fund, to be established, for his son Nicholas. Trustee and mailing address to be announced.