Large Crowd Turns Out To Remember Ryan Lee

A large crowd turned out at Timberlin Golf course Thursday night to mark the one-year anniversary of the death of Berlin native Ryan Lee.

The driveway of Don Bates Drive was lined with luminaria bags leading to tables in the parking lot where friends and family decorated bags for a luminaria placed on the 16th tee. The bags on the tee spelled out one of Ryan Lee's favorite phrases "Proud of Ya!"

Lee played sports and graduated from Berlin High School. He went on to play golf at Long Island University. Last year he was struck by a car near campus and passed away on April 26, 2011.

During the day, Lee's mother Theresa Lee spent time at Berlin High School, Timberlin and the Town Hall handing out information on "Donate Life." Ryan Lee was an organ donor and helped many after his death.

"It went well," Theresa Lee said. "We talked to a lot of people but there is a lot of misinformation out there about organ donation. I think it would be great if people got more education about organ donation more people would sign up. I think we signed up four or five people but we handed out a ton of information to people.

"I think some people don't want to think about organ donation because they don't want to think about the circumstances that will go along with it. It's just like people who don't like to give blood. It mght freak them out and this might do the same. But it was a good day."

For more information on organ and tissue donation, go to: http://www.ctorganandtissuedonation.org/