‘Everyone love Ryan;’ Friend of local father killed in crash remembers his friend of nearly 25 years

YELLOW SPRINGS — A friend of a Yellow Springs family affected by a tragic crash is speaking out about losing his longtime friend.

Kenner Sims said he’s been friends with Ryan and Amber Botkin for nearly 25 years. Now, he told News Center 7 that he’s feeling emotional after a crash that happened just a few miles from where the couple lived that killed the 44-year-old father.

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“I met Ryan and Amber in a class, an outdoor cooking class…and we’ve just been really good friends ever since,” Sims told News Center 7′s John Bedell.

Sims said Ryan worked in archaeology and that he always called him “Indiana Jones.”

As we showed you on News Center 7 at 6:00, Sims shared his reaction to learning about the crash that happened Thursday night at the intersection of U.S. 68 and Fairfield Pike.

“Oh God. I’m devastated,” he said.

Troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) said Katharine Holder, 38, of Enon, blew through a red light and t-boned the car Ryan was driving.

Ryan died at the hospital after the crash. His wife, Amber, and their two sons, ages 12 and 8, were passengers in the car. Amber and one son were seriously injured while the second son was critically injured, a spokesperson for OSHP confirmed.

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Sims described Ryan as a fun-loving man.

“Everyone loved Ryan. Like, he was just the most fun-loving guy to anyone from any walk of life,” he said.

He also said he’s struggling to see “one of the most beautiful families you’d ever meet,’ go through this tragedy.

“I just can’t imagine,” Sims said.

Friends and family of the Botkin family have started an online fundraiser to support the family in the weeks and months ahead. More information about that can be found here.

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