Our son, James Ryan McCafferty, age 25, died accidentally in the early hours of March 1st. He was strong, beautiful, charming, caring and thoughtful. But,his strength was no match for fentanyl from the streets of Vancouver.
Ryan was our only child and grew up in a loving home in West Vancouver, B.C. He was the centre of our lives. As a life-long student of Collingwood School, he headed to Kamloops after graduation to enter a trades program at Thompson Rivers University. He eventually left school in search of a future, finding work in the retail industry.
Ryan was a beautiful child who grew into a handsome young man – inside and out. His passions were many. He was a culinary aficionado, a knowledgeable music lover, and water-sports and fitness enthusiast. His travels with our family took him to the far reaches of the world. Most importantly, Ryan was a wonderful talker and fantastic listener. His ear-to-ear grin and fun-loving disposition lit up a room. He was a charmer. He had a compassionate nature - always willing to help others. For reasons we will never fully understand, Ryan succumbed to the lure of illicit drugs. In 2017, in an effort to face his struggles, Ryan entered a treatment and recovery program with The Last Door in New West and, subsequently, with Together We Can (TWC) in Burnaby. While it was not all smooth sailing, he found success in the fellowship and support of his friends in recovery. He was approaching one-year of clean living. He was giving back to his community and had found his passion working as a Chef at TWC. Ryan felt fulfilled and proud of his accomplishments. This past year gave us back the person we always knew he was and could become. Ryan should be remembered as the loving caring, sweet guy he was. He did not deserve to die this way.
Ryan leaves behind his loving parents, Alanna Pollock and Tim McCafferty, his birth family and his extended family of uncles, aunts and cousins in Ottawa and Southern Ontario. He will be missed by his friends and by the many families we’ve come to know who had embraced him and us as their own. We thank everyone for their support and love of Ryan over his short life.
A celebration of Ryan’s life will be held on Sunday, March 24th at Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street, Vancouver from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Ryan had the utmost concern for the well-being of his friends in recovery and others suffering from the disease of addiction. He would be heartened by your donations in support of Together We Can (TWC) Addiction Recovery and Education Society (www.twcrecoverylife.org) , The Last Door Recovery Centre (www.lastdoor.org) and Westminster House Centre for Women (www.westminsterhouse.ca) Donations can easily be made through their websites or via www.Canadahelps.org.