Ryan Lantz was killed on February 20, 2024 when he was tragically struck by a car at the beginning of his work day at Liberty High School in Clarksburg, West Virginia. Ryan, a 1990 graduate of Liberty, had been teaching at his alma mater for 10 years. As Jeff Toquinto wrote for Connect Bridgeport: Ryan was a father, husband, son, brother, pawpaw, and uncle in his private life. He was a coach, teacher, and pastor in his public life. By all accounts, he wore each of those hats with passion. The common denominator that tied it all together was love. As educators, we all students don t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Ryan s students know he cared for them, so they learned in the classroom and the playing field, lessons not only in curriculum, but in life.