Craig's Ryan Hampton Dies at 41 After Life of Family and Sports

Steamboat Springs —Ryan Hampton died on July 18, 2026. He was forty-one.

His twin brother, Bryan, arrived seven minutes later. The family told them apart by color. Red for Ryan. Blue for Bryan. They wore red and blue wrestling shoes through high school. The distinction held up into adulthood.

Ryan grew up in Craig, Colorado. His family moved from Price, Utah, in December 1988. He was four years old. His mother and sisters joined them in January 1989.

He had an older sister, Teisha. She acted as a protective "Mother Hen." She tried to hide the newborn twins from visitors.

“No, my brothers!” she would say.

The family circle expanded with a younger sister, Heather. Ryan was one of nine kids in the extended family. Family trips were frequent. They went to Disneyland and the San Diego Zoo. His mother noted that out of nine children, only two got lost. Ryan was one of them.

They also traveled to Nashville. The family used CB radios between vehicles. They navigated sketchy alleyways. They slept in their clothes at a hotel nicknamed the Roach Motel, lights on.

Ryan’s competitive nature thrived in youth sports. He played t-ball, baseball, football, and wrestling. His father was his coach more than once. He traveled to Alabama and Las Vegas for athletics.

He loved hunting in Craig. It became a lifelong passion. He hunted with his father, brother, uncles, and cousins.

Ryan was described as sweet, kind, funny, and mischievous. His grandmother, Betty, hesitated to watch the twins if she had to take them into town. They liked to climb inside frozen turkeys.

Ryan dated Chandace Markham starting October 7, 2000. They met at a homecoming dance.

Their first Christmas together featured an ice sculpture garden in Ryan’s yard. Bryan helped him build it. Chandace walked through the path with gifts. The final sculpture was a heart holding a necklace.

Chandace recalled seeing Ryan’s family watching them from the living room window.

Ryan graduated high school. He attended Wyotech.

The short version of Ryan’s life is one of deep local roots. Craig was not just where he lived. It was where he hunted, played sports, and built a life with Chandace. The red shoes were more than a childhood quirk. They were a marker of identity in a town that knew him well.

Neighbors remember the mischievous twin who climbed into frozen turkeys. They remember the competitive athlete who traveled for wrestling. They remember the husband who built an ice garden for his wife.

Ryan Lynn Hampton is survived by his parents, Bill and Michelle Hampton. He leaves behind his twin brother, Bryan. His sisters, Teisha and Heather, remain. Chandace Markham survives him.

He died on July 18, 2026. The date marks the end of a life spent in the valley he loved.