Tyler Seaman, 18, who survived the Saturday night car accident that took Ryan’s life, had been friends with him since the two went to Simpson Middle School in northeast Cobb together.
“We share almost every single interest together — music, sports, everything,” Tyler said with tears in his eyes. “He made anyone laugh. He was everyone’s best friend at Lassiter.”
Jared Aarons, 18, became friends with Ryan as a freshman at Lassiter, where the two were classmates for four years.
“His personality is incredible. He had the best of all of us,” Jared said, choking back tears. “He’s got the humor, he’s got the passion, he’s got everything.”
David Aschenbach told the crowd of hundreds about his son’s passions.
“He could hit a golf ball high and straight by the time he was three,” he said with tears in his eyes and a smile on his face. “He loved baseball and basketball and was nearly unbeatable at ping pong. He loved history, and he loved to write. He always said he wanted to live during the ’40s and ’50s because of how classy the people were.”
David Aschenbach coached his oldest son in sports.
“Ryan loved to play basketball,” he said. “I got to coach Ryan and enjoyed playing with him. I’m convinced he would be an amazing dad someday.”
He said Ryan had a great relationship with his younger brother, Zach, 15.
“They never had a fight,” he said tearfully as his youngest son stood next to him and buried his face behind his hand.
Zach, a rising sophomore at Lassiter, has tuberous sclerosis, a genetic disease that causes tumors. He had to have a heart surgery when he was young, which Tyler said inspired Ryan.
“His little brother had heart problems when he was young, so Ryan’s always wanted to be a heart surgeon,” Tyler said.
Many Lassiter students attended the service, so when David Aschenbach talked about his son receiving the senior superlative “Best to Take Home to Mom and Dad,” the room filled with the laughter.
Johnny Yoder, a close friend of Ryan’s, spoke about the young man’s zest for life.
“Ryan lived life to the fullest, no matter what was going on,” he said, fighting back tears.
The Aschenbach family lives in Northhampton neighborhood in Marietta. Ryan was a member of Johnson Ferry Church along with his family, where they regularly worship.
Ryan is still making an impact after his death: He was an organ donor, and already at least seven people have benefited from that decision, including a soldier.
Ryan died after a Saturday evening crash on Trickum Road. Seaman and Christopher Heitzman, 18, were riding with him when his 2006 Volvo S40 crossed over the double lines and collided with an oncoming car. Seaman was released from WellStar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, and Heitzman is in a critical, but stable condition at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, according to a Grady spokesperson.
Ryan is survived by his mother, Amy Aschenbach, and father; sisters Summer, 19, and April, 17; and Zach.
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