Posted on 07/11/2018
Ryan Dean Pierce Rabe (6/13/89 - 6/27/18)
Survived in death by his parents, William Barrett Rabe and Patricia Sledge Rabe; his younger brother, Clark Dietrich Rabe; his grandparents, Andree and Duane Alton; and many adoring aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was born in Spokane and died at home beside his beloved Coeur d'Alene Lake.
He grew up in Colbert, WA, attended K-8 at NW Christian Schools, and then Mt. Spokane High School. Ryan always enjoyed and excelled at sports and was on the Varsity teams of cross country running, wrestling, and pole vault all 4 years of high school. He qualified at the State level for wrestling and pole vault. He also competed in baseball, soccer, weight lifting, military martial arts (brown belt) and marathon runs. Ryan loved nature and enjoyed all water sports, including swimming, sailing (go figure!), kayaking, paddle boarding, water and snow skiing, and running. In grade school, he won first place in a "Math is Cool" competition from all the area grade schools. In high school, he was a National Honor Society member, competed at state in DECA, and his AP History project competed in the National History competition in Seattle. He graduated with a 3.9 GPA including 9 AP classes. Ryan was described by a fellow AP student as "creepy smart"! He was appointed to and graduated from the US Naval Academy in 2011 with a B.S. in Computer Science/IT degree. He was also on the Varsity team at the Naval Academy until he damaged his shoulder during a vault. He was the only Mt. Spokane High School student to ever graduate from the Naval Academy. Ryan was commissioned into the US Marine Corps as a second Lieutenant and Communications Officer. He was stationed in Annapolis, Camp Lejuene (North Carolina), Camp Pendleton (San Diego), and Camp Smith (Honolulu) and was honorably discharged after 5 1/2 years of service achieving the rank of Captain.
He received many commendations while in the service: Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medal, Navy unit commendation, Navy meritorious commendation, National defense service medal, Global war on terrorism service medal, sharpshooter rifle qualification badge, and sharpshooter pistol qualification badge. He was selected for a select internship at the NSA where his task was to try to hack into the NSA's systems. Ryan had the privilege of attending a Leadership Camp in Alaska (NOLS) where he loved 6 weeks of camping in a glacial wilderness!
Ryan loved to travel and one of the highlights of his too short life was a trip to Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong with his mom as part of a mission with Partners International (a non denominational Christian charity). While in the Marines, he was the Junior officer of an elite group that coordinated communications throughout the Pacific within all the service branches. This allowed him to travel to the Philippines, Thailand, and other Pacific ports.
Ryan was passionate about his country and his family and spent as much time as possible with a multitude of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. He had a quick wit and a sharp sense of humor. He truly fit the bill of "A few good men". He will be greatly missed!
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to be made in Ryan's name to : SS American Memorial Foundation in San Antonio, givegab.com; USNA Alumni Association usna.com; Union Gospel Mission Men's Shelter 1224E. Trent, Spokane, WA 99201; uniongospelmission.org.
Ryan's memorial service is scheduled for Monday, July 16, 2018, 12:30 at Spokane's First Presbyterian Church, 318 S. Cedar St., Spokane, WA 99201.
Ryan's family would like to thank the community already for their amazing outpouring of love and prayers. We would also like to thank Kootenai County Sheriff's office and the Worley First Responders for their efficient and compassionate care. Please view and sign Ryan’s online guest book at www.englishfuneralchapel.com.
English Funeral Chapel
1133 N 4th Street
Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814
(208) 664-3143
Published in Spokesman-Review from July 8 to July 11, 2018