Rodrick Ryan Wilson
LYNN — When Rodrick Ryan Wilson passed away suddenly on July 7 at age 36, his large, loving family was overcome with grief.
The support the family received from friends and Lynn neighbors helped ease the pain.
“People are always putting Lynn in a bad light,” said Sheila Valrie, his sister. “But when it’s time to pull together, Lynn comes together. So many people did so much for us. They showed us so much love. We will be forever grateful.”
Valrie was so moved by the generosity of others, she was compelled to write the following thank-you: “Perhaps you sent a lovely card or a text, perhaps you sent beautiful flowers or a fruit basket … Perhaps you cooked or delivered food or made a generous donation. Or sat upon a chair or stood along the wall and spoke the kind words only a friend could say. Perhaps you stood in line and never got the chance to get in and say goodbye or see the family. We are sorry. Perhaps you were not there at all, just prayed and thought of us on that day. Whatever you did to console our hearts, we thank you so, so much. Love, the family of Rodrick Wilson.”
Wilson, a lifelong Lynn resident, was a former Lynn Public Schools employee and was his mother, Martha’s, caretaker. A graduate of Lynn Classical High School, Wilson attended Hesser College in Manchester, N.H., and did an internship at Disney World in Florida.
His family said Wilson was the life of the party and had a smile that would light up a room. He loved to play darts and traveled every chance he got. As an artist, he was affiliated with the Lydia Pinkham Building in Lynn. Wilson’s creativity extended into interior decorating. He will be forever missed by his mother, five brothers, two sisters, enormous family and friends who loved him dearly.