Ryan Logan Wilmott

April 11th, 1989-April 19th, 2023

Ryan Logan Wilmott was born to Heidi Su Smith and Russell Ellis Wilmott Jr. on April 11th, 1989. Ryan Wilmott passed away at home in Portland, Oregon, on April 19th, 2023 aged 34 years. Ryan is survived by his parents, Heidi Su Smith, and Russell Ellis Wilmott Jr, his younger siblings Sierra & Dylan Wilmott, and his partner, Leticia Barba.

Ryan was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, lived briefly in Vermont, Tacoma, Washington & Los Angeles, California before settling down in Portland, Oregon in the summer of 2019. Ryan graduated from Evergreen College in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Film/Video Production and AV support, and went on to create a life as a Cinematographer in Los Angeles, CA. He was a talented Cinematographer and would go on to work on feature films, commercials, music videos, advertisements, and special effects work. Most notably, he was the Director of Photography in his first feature film, Buzzard Hollow Beef, in winter of 2015, and in April of 2019, shortly after his 34th birthday, Ryan was nominated for a Cannes Lions Festival Award for his animation in an advertising campaign. He was well known for his attention to detail and obsessiveness in seeking out the most beautiful light.

Ryan was indeed a talented and well-rounded individual. He was an Artist. He was a gifted Cinematographer, he lent his musical skill as a guitarist to his band, Covetor, and created beautiful music videos for bands he loved and knew. He was also athletic. He loved to skateboard, to swim, to slackline, and was regularly in the gym lifting weights. Ryan loved adventure and travel. He backpacked through Europe in the summer of 2015, traveled through Mexico City in 2018, and took any and every opportunity to travel all over the United States, including New York, Chicago, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Hawaii, among many other locales. Ryan also loved adventure in the form of eating and cooking foods from any and all cuisines. He was a spirited cook who bonded with his loved ones through cooking and sharing a good meal-especially a fancy cocktail, particularly in a hotel bar.

Above all, Ryan was a friend to everyone he met. Ryan had a warm and inviting demeanor to him that drew everyone in closer. Ryan was the kind of person you could instantly love, and he was always more than willing to reciprocate. He was someone you could lean on through hard times, and could make you smile when things seemed too hard. He would see the best in every single person he met, and would challenge and encourage everyone to be their very best self. He will be missed for his infectious laugh, his energy, and his gentleness.

Ryan Wilmott passed too soon, and the absence of his beautiful light is felt by everyone who knew and loved him, for to know him was to love him.