Realbuto after receiving award
Photo courtesy of Tom Missel
BY: MORGAN KILGER, NEWS EDITOR
On the evening of Jan. 19, the St. Bonaventure community rippled in shock as the news of Ryan Realbuto’s ‘23 passing spread.
News broke that Realbuto passed away at 9:15 p.m. as students and faculty settled down from the first week of the spring semester. Realbuto had been killed in an apparent robbery attempt on Thursday, Jan. 18 in Washington D.C.
“It was a sadness that I received a phone call Friday night that Ryan’s life had been taken from him,” said Dr. Andrew Dombek, a sociology and criminology professor. “I feel heartbroken for Ryan’s family but also for the people he was helping. God bless him and his family”.
Realbuto graduated in the spring of 2023 with a degree in sociology and criminology. Dombek was one of the professors who taught Realbuto.
“I found Ryan to be a very friendly and interesting student,” said Dombek. “He would always engage in conversation during class and sought me out after class to ask more questions.”
The university held a candlelight vigil in Realbuto’s memory on Jan. 25 in the Doyle Hall Chapel. Bonaventure invited friends, family and the community to celebrate Realbuto’s life.
“Knowing the life of service Ryan was committed to, and coming to grips with the senseless nature of his death, there was no question we would hold a service to allow our campus community, especially those who knew Ryan well, to not only grieve but to celebrate the kind of person he was.” said Dr. Jeff Gingerich, university president.
A wake service is being held for Realbuto today in Fairport, New York, from 2-7 p.m. at the Richard H. Keenan Funeral home. A memorial mass is being held tomorrow in Pittsford, New York, at 11 a.m. at the Church of Transfiguration, with interment following at White Haven Memorial Park.
During his time at Bonaventure, Realbuto devoted himself to the community.
He was a peer coach for three years and volunteered with Bona-buddies. Realbuto also volunteered at the Warming House, the student-run soup kitchen in Olean, New York and at Canticle Farm, a vegetable farm sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany that provides food for those in need.
Alice Miller Nation, director of university ministries, worked closely with Realbuto.
“Ryan wanted to be about making things better for other people and for the world,” said Miller Nation. “That’s why he was doing a year of service, he wanted to try to figure out how he could be part of positive change.”
Realbuto’s time volunteering at Bonaventure inspired him to volunteer with the Franciscan Volunteer Ministries in Washington D.C. for a year of service. Realbuto enjoyed his time volunteering, said Dombek.
“When Ryan graduated he was unsure of what he wanted to do and told me he was going to go to Washington D.C. to work with Franciscan Volunteer Ministries,” said Dombek. “We communicated via email several times and Ryan said he was happy.”
Miller Nation is honored to have worked with Realbuto during his time as a Bonaventure student. She is inspired by how Realbuto looked at life.
“Ryan never strayed from a challenge, he was a person that was really determined,” said Miller Nation. “If he was faced with a challenging situation, he’d look at it. Sometimes he would consult other people if he felt like he needed to, and he’d step right into it. I think that’s a great model for living life.”
Last spring, Realbuto received the Mt. Irenaeus Student of the Year Award at the annual Fr. Joe Doino Awards ceremony.
“He was a gentle man that would never hurt a soul,” said Dombek.
kilgermi22@bonaventure.edu
