The Farmington Valley Trails Council (FVTC) is pleased to unveil a memorial bench in honor of Allen and Catherine Ryan, located along the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail (FHCT) in Suffield just before the Massachusetts border. Passionate about contributing to creating a thriving community, Allen Ryan was a longstanding volunteer with the FVTC. He played an integral role in converting the Suffield portion of the FCHT for nearly a decade. Catherine Ryan was a registered nurse dedicated to serving with the Suffield Volunteer Ambulance. It is our great pleasure to honor these outstanding individuals.

We wish to thank Tilcon Connecticut (@TilconCT) for their generous donation of concrete, the Suffield Greater Together Community Fund (@SuffieldGTCF) for awarding the FVTC a grant for the installation of the bench, James Comee of Chet Comee and Sons for their work to prepare the ground for the concrete slab, and Suffield Department of Public Works for assembling, storing, and installing the bench.

This effort truly “took a village” and we are deeply grateful to everyone who helped make this happen.