Ryland J. Kautz

Ryland James Kautz, age 6 of Kaukauna, WI leveled up from this world and earned his everlasting peace on October 30, 2024. He fought an inspirational 15-month battle against brain cancer (DIPG), in which he fought for Good Days and more of them, which was shared publicly on CaringBridge. He was born to Jeremy and Lindsay (Werth) Kautz on June 12, 2018 in Appleton, WI. Ryland attended Dr. H.B. Tanner Early Learning Center in Kaukauna, most recently as a first grader, where he made beautiful connections with staff and classmates alike. He wanted to be a police officer one day and inspired his supporters from around the country to help him grow his police patch and challenge coin collection. 

Ryland was an amazing friend and showed us all how to love fearlessly. He loved making people laugh with his wit but especially with knock-knock jokes. He and his Dad shared a special bond over all things nerdy. Ryland had a powerful imagination that turned his love of video games and Pokemon into real play with his friends and family. During these special moments, Ryland was able to “Catch ‘em all” and show us all the power that’s inside. 

Ryland loved collecting, especially Pokemon cards, trading “Packs for Pokes” he endured during his medical journey. He was very proud of himself for learning how to read and enjoyed the time spent reading before bed with his family. His favorite library books were about volcanoes, which he had a healthy respect for. More than anything, though, Ryland loved his family and cherished every moment he spent with them. 

Ryland will be deeply missed by his parents, Jeremy and Lindsay; his sister, Felicity; his grandparents, Steve & Lori Werth, and Greg & Janet Kautz; his great-grandparents, Barbara Lukas, Carol Lukas, and Ron & Sally Kautz; his aunts and uncles, Dayna Werth and Vang Thao, Jessica Kautz, and Elric Grondzick; his cousins, Jerric & Cendric Grondzik and Rhiannon Werth; and other extended family. This includes his heart family that has grown throughout Appleton East High School and Tanner Early Learning Center. His formative years were spent making cherished memories with the kids and staff at Kidzland2, where his sister also attends. At the time of the diagnosis they jumped into action and created the beautiful “Wish Flower” design that has rallied the our community to support Ryland’s family.

A funeral visitation will be held for Ryland from 4-7 PM on Tuesday, November 5, 2024 at Wichmann Funeral Home, 537 N. Superior St, Appleton, WI 54911. A second visitation will be held from 1:30 - 4:30 PM on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at the funeral home and will be followed by a funeral service at 4:30 PM, which will also be livestreamed and can be found at the bottom of this page. Lastly, a memorial assembly is being planned for a future date at Appleton East High School. Please check back for updates.  In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund will be established for Ryland. If you want to help wage war on DIPG, donate $6 in honor of Ryland using the link below.  

Ryland’s family would like to extend a special thanks to the staff at Unity Hospice for helping guide them over the past 5 months. His family also would like to thank his pediatrician Dr. Chasity Henry and her staff at ThedaCare, Dr. Sarah Rumler and the rest of the staff at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Dr. Long and the team at St. Vincent Children’s Hospital, and the BrainChild program at Seattle Children’s Hospital for guiding them and providing the best medical care possible for Ryland. A final thanks, to our “Feelings Doctor” Dr. Sherrie Kamm helped us navigate this unimaginable journey.

Take care of that extra life, Ryland. We’ll see you again in the next level when it’s time to use ours.

Donate to The Cure Starts Now: https://p2p.thecurestartsnow.org/2892