I want to begin by thanking the District Attorney’s Office and the Boston Police Victim Advocates, our friends, our co-workers, family, the Charlestown community and all those that have been a huge support system for our family over the past three years.
Words cannot describe what the support has meant to us as we have tried to make sense of it all. Nov. 5, 2014 began as a normal day. For our family and the friends we consider family, the actions on Nov. 5 took away a giant piece of our lives that can never be replaced. Ryan ‘Duce’ Morrissey was a loving son, brother, uncle, cousin, nephew, and a friend taken very much before his time. To bring up memories of our son includes a very unassuming, smart and funny individual that brightened up so many lives with just his presence. Ryan’s smile and passion for life was a joy to all those who met him. As soon as someone met Ryan, they instantly liked him. It was because Ryan was a kind, gentle, witty person with a sense of humor that could make anyone laugh. He would brighten our spirits with a joke or even just a look. As soon as Ryan walked in the door, it commanded attention. He had so much charisma and gravitas. There was always something coming out of his mouth to put a smile on our faces…There were so many things in Ryan’s life that truly brought joy to our faces, from his hockey games to baseball games to lacrosse games to his 15th birthday when we gave him his own ‘Duce’ branded cornhole boards. There were so many things we looked forward to that we will never get to witness with our son. Ryan would have gone on to do amazing things. His graduation from high school would have been only a few short months away. He wanted to join the service and then come out and go on to be a Boston firefighter. He would have met the love of his life, gone on to get married, and have beautiful children to raise. All these things and more are what Ryan deserved. He deserved to live a long life with his friends and family creating more memories here…Ryan deserved so much more than this because he embodied all that was good in the world. All that Ryan deserved was taken from him and our family on the night he was murdered. His loss has created a void in our lives that will never be filled. We will forever miss him and hope he knows how much he is loved and missed. The impact that Ryan has on our lives and our community is felt to this day. Losing Ryan on that night in November has begun to change us and our neighborhood. When people think back on Ryan, they do not think about the way he lost his life, but the way he lived it. Ryan’s life began a lasting legacy of charity in Charlestown and surrounding communities that will live on forever. Nowadays you cannot drive down the street and not see a green shamrock with a red ‘2’ in the middle of it – whether on a T-shirt, sweatshirt or hat or decal – the Duce logo is a constant reminder on how many lives Ryan touched. Shortly after Ryan died, numerous scholarships in his name were founded and have successfully raised over $250,000 in Ryan’s memory. His memory will send countless young people to high school, college and summer camps. There are cornhole tournaments, paint nights, golf tournaments, special functions all remembering Ryan’s life and the impact he had on all. Thousands of people have donated or said a kind word about Ryan. The outpouring of support is a massive testament to the kind of person Ryan actually was. We only wish he could see what his memory has created. If only we could hear one more witty, wise-ass comment. The legacy that Ryan would have created was cut short on that night in 2014, but the memory of Ryan ‘Duce’ Morrissey will live on forever. People should be more Duce-like; this world would be a better place. Thank You.
Steve and Carol ‘Sis’ Morrissey whose son, Ryan was killed in 2014 delivered the following The Impact Statement delivered in court on Feb. 16, 2018.