The above image, Rydill, was created by artist Elena Cipolia as part of the 2021-2022 Souls Shot Portrait Project exhibition.
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From the time Ryan Dillon could walk, he was a comedian. He would do anything, including physical comedy stunts, to make people laugh.
He also “ate like it was his job,” his mother Margie Dillon said. He’d eat anything but tuna and beets, and no meal was complete without A-1 Steak Sauce.
In fact, when he graduated from high school, Ryan wanted to attend culinary school and pursue a career that combined two of his joys, cooking and comedy.
“He wanted to see if there was a place where he could be a comedian chef, kind of like how hibachi chefs cook in front of you,” Margie said while sitting at a table at Diner at the Plaza at Snyder and Water, one of the spots where Ryan was a regular customer. “He wanted to cook and make you laugh at the same time.”
But Ryan was shot and killed the afternoon of May 25, 2018 in the 400 block of Hoffman Street in South Philadelphia, a few blocks from his home. No arrests have been made. He was 17 years old.
“He wasn’t a bad person. He wasn’t hated,” Margie said. “No reason to take my son’s life would make sense to me. I accepted his death the day that he died, but I couldn’t accept him not coming home. For three days I waited on the corner at 11 o’clock waiting for him to come home, even though I knew he wasn’t coming.”
Ryan was born June 15, 2000 to Margie and John Dillon. He was their youngest child by more than eight years and had four older brothers, John, Eric, Pat and Jimmy. He stuck to his parents like Velcro growing up and had a tight relationship with both of them.
He’d call Jocelyn Brown, his brother Pat’s girlfriend, “big sis.” She recalled that one night they went out to eat, and while everyone was sleeping, Ryan ate all of the leftovers. But it was hard to be mad at him.
“I took to him because he was so funny,” Jocelyn said. He made me laugh all day and all night.”
Ryan, who went by the nickname “Rydill,” was diagnosed with ADHD and had a hard time paying attention in school, but he was smart, especially when it came to math. He had been attending Mastery Charter School, but for the 2017-2018 school year he switched to Furness High School for 11th grade. His goal was to transfer back to Mastery and graduate from there in June 2019.
Along with cooking and comedy, Ryan also loved the Mummers. His older brothers were Mummers and he appeared in his first parade when he was 6 months old. When he was old enough, he joined the MGK Outsiders Wench Brigade.
New Year’s Day 2018 was the first time he was allowed to walk the parade and go to the Two Street celebration without adult supervision. He and his close friend Jasmine Gomez went together, and it was a big deal that they were on their own.
Jasmine’s mother, Laina Gomez, said Ryan was protective of Jasmine and often walked her home from school.
“He adored her,” she said. “He was very respectful and treated her like a princess. She could be herself around him.”
This year, the MGK Outsiders honored Ryan with the theme of “Pennies From Heaven.”
On March 1, Furness had a memorial for Ryan and two other students who died recently. Jasmine was asked to be the one to release the balloons for Ryan.
“I want Ryan to be remembered as the good kid he was—funny, compassionate,” Margie said. “He’d do anything for anybody. He was a good kid, a good person. The world is missing out.”
A reward of $27,400 is offered for information leading to the person responsible for Ryan’s homicide. Anonymous tips can be made to Detective McAndrews with the Philadelphia Police Department at 215-686-3334.
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