WILLIAMSBURG — Mary Brown recalls her son Ryan Taylor with tears in her eyes.
“Ryan was just an amazing kid. He would do anything for anybody. I have letters from parents and teachers thanking me for raising him to be the one who would sit with kids who were alone at the lunch table. That was just the kind of kid he always was,” Brown said.
Ryan, a Tabb High School graduate, played on the golf team for the school. He was also an avid skateboarder, enjoyed music, dancing, and making everyone laugh.
While in high school, Ryan began to show signs of anxiety and depression. Mary immediately jumped in to help her son, and after graduating, Ryan headed off to college at Radford University intending to become a dentist.
While away at college, he turned to drugs and ultimately was pulled out of school by his family after Christmas break. After trying many different rehab facilities, Ryan ended up in a local sober home, but he continued to struggle with his addiction and died after an accidental overdose in January 2019.
To honor his memory, Brown created the Ryan Taylor Golf Tournament. On Sept. 6, local golfers are encouraged to join the family at Ford’s Colony Country Club for the fifth annual event.
“Ryan was a tremendous athlete. He spent every weekend doing golf with his uncle. He had to have all the clubs and all the things that go along with golf. We knew he died loving golf, so we knew this was something we could do in his memory that he would be proud of,” Brown explained.
The money raised from the tournament will be donated to Faith Recovery (formerly Youth Challenge), a Williamsburg faith-based drug recovery program, in Ryan’s name to help others in their journey to becoming sober. Ryan’s scholarship money helps cover the cost of treatment for those who can’t afford a spot at Faith Recovery.
Registration. is still open for the Sept. 6 tournament. The cost is $150 for a single player and $500 for a foursome. The shotgun start is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. and will be followed by a meal and ceremony at 3 p.m. The family hopes to raise $30,000 from this year’s tournament.
According to Brown, the event helps keeps Ryan’s legacy alive.
“I will never let my son die twice. He died once and this time I’m going to keep his name alive. He’s not going to die twice on my watch,” Brown said.
Brown hopes to continue to see the fundraiser grow in the years to come.
“We couldn’t save our son, but you know what? We can save other people through his legacy,” Brown said.
Sponsorships for the event are still available and volunteers are welcome at the event. To sign up to play or volunteer, visit ryan-taylor-golf-tournament.perfectgolfevent.com.
