By Sarah Light, staff writer

As family and friends of 20-year-old Ryan &8220;Pie&8221; Truesdell began to mourn his loss

just a day after his death, stories of him as a fun-loving, spirited athlete with high hopes for the future began to emerge throughout Albert Lea.

&8220;There aren&8217;t enough words to express how I feel about my son, but I know he&8217;s gone and totally irreplaceable,&8221; his father, Scott Truesdell, said. &8220;It&8217;s every parent&8217;s worst nightmare, and I wouldn&8217;t wish it on my worst enemy.&8221;

Ryan died Tuesday morning after becoming trapped in a steel corn bin at the east site of the Glenville Grain elevator.

His father said it was Ryan&8217;s last week on the job, which he had taken to earn money for college.

Responders and elevator personnel were able to extricate the 2005 Albert Lea High School graduate from the bin by cutting a hole in the steel and shoveling the grain out. Once he was extricated, revival efforts were started by first responders and Albert Lea Medical Center ambulance staff; however, before he could be transported to Rochester by a Mayo One helicopter, he died.

Many questions about how the accident occurred are still unanswered as the Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration continue to investigate the incident. Representatives from Glenville Grain have also declined to comment at this point.

Though the facts of how the events unfolded that morning are still unclear, Scott said his son knew the possible dangers of working at a grain elevator when he signed up for the job. The father, however, said he never wanted Ryan to take the job because his son has always been accident-prone.

The afternoon of his death, Ryan was scheduled to move in with his roommates in Rochester, where he was beginning his third year at Rochester Community Technical College studying physical education and health, Scott said.

&8220;He was one of those special ones,&8221; the father said. &8220;He never caused any problems. He did what he was asked.&8221;

Joe Sczublewski, Ryan&8217;s former high school baseball coach, described his two-time team captain as a &8220;fun-loving, spirited&8221; person who was an &8220;excellent athlete.&8221;

&8220;It&8217;s very much a tragedy that such a thing could happen to such a young kid,&8221; Sczublewski said.

In high school, Ryan was known for his skills on the baseball and football fields. During his junior and senior year, he was voted to the Big Nine All-Conference Baseball Team, and in 2004, he was selected for the Tribune&8217;s All-Area Baseball Team.

&8220;He was a very outgoing, energetic kid,&8221; the coach said.

At a younger age, Ryan was also part of the Albert Lea Elks boys&8217; basketball team.

Tom Jones, his coach on that team, described him as a very quick point guard who hustled all the time.

Jones relayed one specific experience he said he will always remember about Ryan:

&8220;We were playing our highlight tournament of the year in Albert Lea in February of his eighth grade season. We were playing a Waseca team and trailed by three with very little time to go. On an in-bounds play, his teammate Logan Schallock grabbed a loose ball off the floor and threw it while on his back to Ryan, who drained a 3-pointer on the buzzer to send the game to overtime. He flew high into everyone&8217;s arms including mine and this helped launch his team to a win in overtime.&8221;

Though he didn&8217;t continue playing basketball in his varsity years, Ryan supported his former teammates who won the section finals and went to state a couple years ago, Jones added.

&8220;He was a great kid and had a great future,&8221; Jones said.

The news hit close to home for many others in the community Wednesday as talk of the athlete&8217;s death continued to be a major focus of discussion around town.

Service times

Ryan Truesdell&8217;s funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at First Lutheran Church. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Bayview/Freeborn Funeral Home and one hour prior to the church service.

Support for Ryan &8220;Pie&8221; Truesdell posted online

The outpouring of support from friends of 20-year-old Ryan &8220;Pie&8221; Truesdell was evident a day after his death as dozens of postings appeared on Facebook.com relaying his impact on those he encountered.

The following are just a glimpse of those entries, taken directly from the Web site. The Tribune gained access to these postings through the help of his sister, Tiffany Truesdell.

– &8220;pie, I am soo saddened by this I can&8217;t believe it. you were the sweetest guy ever and your kindness really touched my heart i will really miss you, it was great knowing you!! with all my love rest in peace&8221;

&8212; Amy Kadlec, Rochester Community College

– &8220;i love ya pie! i&8217;ll never forget the last day of school my sophomore year you turned my phone from silent to loud and called me during class. getting me in all sorts of trouble! always lookin for a good laugh. i&8217;m gunna miss your smile and laughs bud. rest in peace. you&8217;ll be missed by so many love you!&8221;

&8212; Elyce Rehmke, University of Minnesota Duluth

– &8220;I love you Pie you were always so welcoming and kind hearted and you will never be forgotten.&8221;

&8212; Jessica Marie Phillips, Rochester Community College

– &8220;pie, you are a great person. you never failed to make people laugh and you will be missed!! god bless ya man and rest in peace!&8221;

&8212; Mike Polis, Augsburg

– &8220;pie … what to say for the whole year u became one of my best friends … u always will be and will always be in my heart. love ya man. rip

&8212; Kyle Pronschinske, Rochester Community College

– &8220;Hey buddy. Whenever you&8217;d walk in a room, it would just light up. Not everyone can do that, but you always did. You&8217;ll be missed, but will never be forgotten … Heaven must be even a brighter place with you there … xoxo

&8212; Samantha Willier, Angelo State