Ryan J. Bealer's Obituary
Ryan Joseph Bealer, age 33, passed away peacefully after a long fight with brain cancer on December 10th, 2022. Ryan was born in Glendora, California on March 30th, 1989 to Steven Bealer and the late Pamela (Giles) Bealer, and spent his adolescence in his beloved Santa Barbara, California.
A dear husband, son, brother, and friend, Ryan always strove to take care of the people in his life, as exemplified through his work as a social worker and therapist for foster youth in California. While in high school, Ryan was a guitarist and singer for the band Heart of the Void, with whom he recorded an album and toured throughout Southern California. After high school, he completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at UC Santa Barbara and his Master’s Degree in Social Work at UC Berkeley. Ryan spent the last decade of his life in the Bay Area, where he contributed to the music and arts scenes, met his wife, and engaged with the local community.
Ryan loved spending time with his many friends, making music as a guitarist and DJ, writing poetry, and playing video games. He was a devoted cat-dad to Stella Bean, and exactly the kind of person that you wanted in your corner during a tough time. In his own words, from a poem he wrote in 2017:
“For me, my self love comes when I can brave the seas of humanity and know that I have offered something of value, and when I have found the space where many many people can set aside fears and simply love.”
Ryan is survived by his wife, Mia Nardi-Huffman, his father, Steven Bealer, and his sister, Rebecca Bealer. He will be very missed by all that knew him. A private memorial will be held in Santa Barbara on January 15th, 2023.
In lieu of flowers, we ask that you please consider making a donation in Ryan’s name to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation at curethekids.org.
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