Funeral services for Ryan Lee Zwiener, 19, Lawrence, will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Lawrence First Church of the Nazarene, 1470 N. 1000 Rd., with the Revs. Bob Giffin, Don Dunn, and Robby Giffin officiating. Interment will follow in Rock Creek Cemetery in rural Douglas County.
Ryan died Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, at his home, after a long battle with depression.
He was born Dec. 17, 1991, in Overland Park, the son of Raymond and Lisa Hegeman Zwiener. He graduated from Lawrence Free State High School in 2010, where he was a member of the National Honor Society and the wrestling and cross country teams. He later attended Johnson County Community College, and was currently attending Kansas University.
Ryan was working as a meat department clerk at Hy-Vee on 6th Street. He was a member of Lawrence First Church of the Nazarene, the Lawrence Athletic Club, and the Ju-Jitsu Club at KU. He was an avid outdoorsman, and particularly enjoyed camping, hiking, and fishing
Survivors include his parents, Lawrence; a sister, Mandy Zwiener, Lawrence; maternal grandparents, Bill and Jean Hegeman, Lawrence; paternal grandparents, Larry and Linda Zwiener, Garnett; paternal great grandmother, Gladys Zwiener, Garnett; maternal great grandfather, George Eberhart, Lawrence; paternal aunts and uncles, Dr, Kevin Zwiener and Dr. Kassie Zwiener; and maternal aunts and uncles Steve and Becky Grammer, Mike and Vicki Hegeman, Annette and Tom Glahn, and Mark and Melinda Hegeman.
He was preceded in death by a paternal great grandfather, Raymond Zwiener, paternal great grandparents, Leonard and Frieda Hermreck,; a maternal great grandmother, Juanita Riley, and an uncle, Daniel Zwiener.
Friends may call from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Lawrence First Church of the Nazarene.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Ryan Zwiener Memorial Fund, for the establishment of a fund for teen suicide prevention, in care of the funeral home, 601 Ind., Lawrence, KS, 66044
It is the hope of the family that, by acknowledging Ryan’s battle with depression, others with similar issues and their families can be spared the tragedy of losing a loved one unnecessarily.
