Remembering Eugene: Will Ryan, beloved voice actor from Adventures in Odyssey

Co-workers are sharing their thoughts after the passing of a voicing legend, Will Ryan.

Will Ryan was 72-years-old when he passed away from a short illness on November 19, 2021.

"The loss of Will Ryan leaves a great void for all who knew him as a friend and as an artist," writer and director at Focus on the Family, Paul McCusker says. "He was always a joy to be with. He was dedicated whole-heartedly to the people and work he loved, investing so much of himself in everything he did. I can hardly express the deep sadness I feel. It’s hard to imagine a world without him."

Ryan started voicing characters on The Adventures in Odyssey in 1987 and recorded them for new episodes right up until his passing. He gave 150 unique characters their voice on the show, but his most known role was of Eugene Meltsner.

According to the show's website, many aspects of Eugene came from Ryan himself. This included the way Eugene made sure people spoke with precision, his unique interests, and talent for playing the ukelele. The most incredible thing is that the character's testimony of coming to his Christian faith on one episode brought many people to Christ, evidenced from letters written to Focus on the Family.

"I’ll never forget Will’s first interpretation of the character of Eugene," says Executive Producer Chuck Bolte. "It was masterful and perfect…which is what he produced with every character he created. Will was an amazing talent and a consistent joy to work with."

He will always be Eugene from Adventures in Odyssey to me. He’s going to be missed by everyone. My prayers are with his family and friends. Rest easy, you’re with Whit ♡ https://t.co/koTkp6iH4M
— Manda ♡ 🙏🏻 & 🧋2022 (@strawberryboba_) November 20, 2021

Ryan also used his voicing talents on characters such as Petrie from The Land Before Time, Willie the Giant in Mickey’s Christmas Carol, and Rabbit in several Winnie the Pooh cartoons.

The farewell write-up from Focus concluded that the Official Adventures in Odyssey Podcast will feature a tribute to Ryan in 2022. He had recorded a number of new episodes before his passing that will release throughout this year. Ryan's voice will be remembered for years, especially for those playing any and all of the previous shows recording.