Ryan William Kristoff

Ryan William Kristoff, 16, of Colchester, passed away peacefully in the arms of his loving parents early Friday morning (Dec. 22, 2017).  He was born in Middletown on March 7, 2001, son of William and Pamela (Pasay) Kristoff.  He leaves to mourn and deeply treasure his memory, his adoring parents, Bill and Pam; his big sister, Katherine Elizabeth Kristoff; his little brother, Carlton Alexander Kristoff; grandparents, Ruth and Martin Kristoff of Berlin and Walter and Kathleen Pasay of Lebanon; aunts and uncles, Sharon and Lewis Hineline of Coventry, Kim and David Rose of Berlin, Stephen and Diane Pasay of Andover; and cousins Emily, Kevin, Cole, Shelby, Neven, and Nina, along with  numerous extended family members, friends and caregivers.  Ryan was predeceased by his younger sister, Alyssa Ryan Kristoff on November 25, 2010.  Ryan, who was also known as “Chum”, “Chubas”, “RyeRye”, “the Rye Guy”, was diagnosed with Krabbe Disease at seven months of age. Ryan never knew a normal childhood, and was never expected to live past the age of two.  He endured chemotherapy, numerous invasive treatments and surgeries and countless doctor and hospital visits throughout his lifetime.  Despite all he endured, he was a trooper and never visibly complained.  Although Ryan could not walk or talk and had limited vision and hearing, he communicated in other ways; an occasional bright-eyed look, a turn-your-head smirky smile followed by a little grunt, or one of his classic loud sighs.  Ryan enjoyed relaxing in his hot tub, being read to, and spending time with his family. Ryan may not have had the best quality of life throughout all of his medical obstacles but, he was loved beyond words and touched many lives.  The purity of Ryan's earthly soul inspired kindness in every life he touched.  Pam and Bill have so many special people in their lives because of Ryan and want to express their sincere appreciation to all of them.  Special thanks to Catherine Humphrey and Mary Melton, who have been part of our family and Ryan’s journey for over the past 10 years, and to the generous Town of Colchester and volunteers who donated their time and material to build an addition to Ryan’s home.  Visitation 5 - 7 PM Thursday (Dec. 28th) at the Aurora-McCarthy Funeral Home, 167 Old Hartford Rd., Colchester.  The Funeral Liturgy will be celebrated 10:30 AM Friday (Dec. 29th) directly at St. Andrew Church, 128 Norwich Ave., Colchester.  Burial will follow in New St. Andrew Cemetery.  Donations in his memory may be made to Hunter’s Hope (www.huntershope.org), the Make-A-Wish Foundation (www.wish.org/donate) or the Duke Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Family Support Program (www.dukepbmtfamilysupport.org) in Durham, North Carolina. For online condolences, please visit www.auroramccarthyfuneralhome.com