R.I.P. Ryan Shannon

A window washer by day, but a musician at heart: Ryan Shannon's family hopes he's remembered for so much more than the window-washing accident that took his life at 25. Bob Shannon wants his son remembered as much more than a window washer killed in a tragic accident.

Ryan J. Shannon, 25, of Roseville, was identified Sunday as the man who died Friday when he fell from the roof of a St. Louis Park apartment building, where he was working with a window-washing crew. Shannon's energy and passion for music were his defining traits, his father said Sunday. He recalled what happened when the family bought Ryan an electric guitar when he was 12. "A big light went on," he said. Ryan learned to play it, along with drums, banjo and piano.

Ryan Shannon grew up in Roseville and graduated from Roseville Area High School in 2004. He'd recently earned a two-year degree/certification from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. In addition to working as a window washer, he was an admissions counselor for Record Now, a recording arts school in Falcon Heights. Shannon's latest project was a band formed with friends last year called the Wize Bison.

"To all Wize Bison friends, thank you so much for supporting us and rocking out at our shows. It made Ryan so happy to look down at the crowd and see people enjoying our music. He was the energy behind Wize Bison and this band wouldn't have existed without him. He will never be forgotten, please keep his family in your prayers and Ryan in your memories."

His older brother, Bobby Shannon (2nd from left), lead singer for Wize Bison, said the band mostly did rock covers, but Ryan (2nd from right) had started to write original songs. "He was a big rocker -- he had so much energy, so much spirit," his brother said. Both as a child and an adult, Ryan Shannon also loved to play soccer, his family said. To earn extra money, he'd been cleaning windows with the Squeegee Squad for about a year, his father said, adding, "Window washing was just something that he did to make a few bucks in between his music."

At 2 p.m. Friday, Ryan fell from the roof of the eight-story Knollwood Place Apartments in St. Louis Park. The Hennepin County medical examiner ruled his death an accident. An investigation continues. Joe Antonello (pictured), owner of Twin Cities Squeegee Squad franchises, said in an e-mail Sunday, "We are deeply saddened by Friday's tragic accident," calling Shannon a "highly esteemed" employee.

Services are tentatively set for 10 a.m. Thursday at St. John's Church of Little Canada, with visitation to be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Roseville Memorial Chapel. Shannon is not the only Twin Cities area resident to die in such an accident in recent times. In September 2009, Bryan Prairie of Plymouth fell to his death at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park. Six months earlier, Jacob Jennings, 20, of Coon Rapids, fell to his death while working as a window washer in Bloomington.