Long Valley Biker Killed in Crash Was 'Motorcycling Evangelist'

John Ryan was a man of extremely “sharp wit” and a “brilliant mind,” according to Melissa Pierson.

She should know, after all. She wrote the book on him. Literally.

Pierson met Ryan, a Long Valley resident for the past nine years, at a BMW rally in 2005, where the author was speaking at an event. The two remained in contact until Ryan was killed while riding his motorcycle on Rt. 78 in Warren County Sunday morning.

“John was a man of great profundity as well as lively contradictions,” Pierson told Patch. “He had an extremely sharp wit and a brilliant mind. I have never known anyone as honorable and ethical as John.”

The 53-year-old Ryan was heading westbound on Rt. 78 Sunday morning when he veered into the left lane, colliding with a Ford Mustang, New Jersey State Police said. Ryan was pronounced dead as a result of his injuries a short while later at St. Luke’s Warren County Hospital.

Ryan lived in Long Valley for the past nine years, and Morris Plains before that, according to his obituary. The avid motorcyclist was born in Jersey City. Ryan was a member of the BMW Skylands Club, the New York BMW Riders Club, the NJ BMW Shore Riders and the Iron Butt Association, the obituary from William J. Leber Funeral Home said.

A celebration of Ryan’s life will be held Thursday at William J. Leber Funeral Home.

Pierson wrote a book about Ryan’s love for motorcycling and long-distance endurance rides called “The Man Who Would Stop at Nothing: Long Distance Motorcycling’s Endless Road.”

“He got me riding again and only after that did I learn who he really was: a legendary, and ferocious, long-distance rider,” Pierson said. “He was also a great evangelist for motorcycling: he believed in its saving graces, and wanted as many people as possible to experience them.”

On October 14, the Facebook page dedicated to the book announced Ryan’s death, saying “It is with the most profound sadness that I have to report that John Ryan was killed yesterday doing what he loved most and did best. Our hearts are permanently broken.”

The celebration of John Ryan’s life will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the William J. Leber Funeral Home on the corner of Furnace Road and Rt. 206 in Chester Township. An 11 a.m. funeral mass will be celebrated on Friday at St. Luke Parish in Long Valley.

Memorial donations can be made to the Camp Nejeda Foundation, where Ryan often volunteered his time, at P.O. Box 156, Stillwater Township, NJ 07875, or campnejeda.org.

“He was an inspiration to many, but he couldn’t really be a model, because few could ever hope to do what John did,” Pierson said. “Riding gave him a purpose and a calling; he did it with athletic elegance and brute persistence. I think a lot of people are out there riding because of him. In turn, those people embraced him with an understanding and appreciation of what he pursued and why.

“Motorcycling was his home,” she said.