Ryan C. Schuchardt

Ryan C. Schuchardt, 38, chose to end his nearly 20-year daily struggle with bipolar disorder in his rural Elgin, NE home on October 7, 2019. As his family, friends and neighbors mourn this tragic loss, we take comfort in the many ways he so beautifully touched our lives.

Ryan was born in Ames, IA on May 11, 1981 to Rick and Jane Schuchardt. He was baptized in the St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, Ames, IA and confirmed in the St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Springfield, VA. He has one brother, Philip; aunts and uncles, Bob and Ann Selzer, Tom and Cathy Conway, and Jan Briese, and two cousins, Jenna Farquhar and Brandon Briese. He was preceded in death by one cousin, Jerod Briese; one uncle, Tom Schuchardt, and his grandparents, Casper and Sylvia Menninga and Bill and Lois Schuchardt.

Ryan graduated valedictorian of Hayfield High School, Alexandria, VA, where he was drum major of the marching band and recipient of numerous math and music awards. He played trumpet in the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestra which performed in the Kennedy Center, Washington, DC, and went on concert tour in Russia.

Ryan was an entrepreneur. By operating a neighborhood lawnmowing business, supplemented with scholarships and investing, he financed his undergraduate degree in economics, which was bestowed magna cum laude from the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA. There he was a tour guide, sang in the choir and with an acapella group, and played trumpet in the orchestra. He also studied at the University of Sydney, Australia.

Following college, he was employed as a financial analyst with firms in the Washington, DC area. During this time, he obtained the Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) credential and sang with the Choral Arts Society of Washington, performing in the Kennedy Center and on concert tour in London. He also studied organ with the American Guild of Organists and traveled extensively in Europe where he loved researching famous composers. As a certified scuba diver, he especially enjoyed the waters of the Great Barrier Reef and the Caribbean, plus night diving in the Fiji Islands. In recent years, he engaged in equities trading and assisted his parents on the family farm.

Along with his kind and gentle demeanor, Ryan can best be remembered for his love of music, especially classical; math and money, which aligns with his thorough knowledge of the stock market and corporate finance, and movies, where he could readily name actors and theme songs. He also was an avid Husker football fan and could cite names and stats with ease.

This year Ryan took great pride in completing a directory of the 1,400 graves in Elgin's West Cedar Valley Cemetery. To honor this significant community contribution, Ryan's family asks that, in lieu of flowers, any memorials be designated to the West Cedar Valley Cemetery.

A celebration of Ryan's life will be at 11:00 am, Monday, October 14, 2019 at the Immanuel Zion Lutheran Church, 1726 310 ^th Avenue, rural Albion, NE with guest pastor Reverend Meredith Keseley, Burke, VA, and the church's pastor Reverend Becky Beckmann officiating. Dr. Benjamin Keseley, Burke, VA, is organist and Megan Miller, Colorado Springs, CO is vocalist. Following lunch, interment will be at the West Cedar Valley Cemetery. Friends are invited to greet Ryan's family from 4:00-6:00 pm, Sunday, October 13, 2019 at the Huffman-Levander Funeral Home, 107 Pine Street, Elgin, NE where Tony Levander, a friend of Ryan's, has handled arrangements.