Ryan Shayne Dougay

Ryan Shayne Dougay, better known as “Stymie” by his family and close friends, was a very unique, one of a kind, and very special young man. He did things his own way from the time he was born. As a new mother, Ryan’s mother, Milly was anxious to cuddle her precious newborn tightly in her arms but found that Ryan was not content to be held that way.  Rather he had to be held up on her chest with his head up! And, while most newborns sleep most of the day and night, baby Ryan would only sleep during the night, but only because he was exhausted.

Ryan was always a fun loving and adventurous child with so much energy, which continued through his adulthood. He was a true outdoorsman, and athlete who loved the water, boating, water skiing, wake surfing and had recently travelled to Mexico to surf. He loved camping in the wild, hiking, snowboarding, and snow skiing.  Ryan was also an avid runner, and later a cyclist in his adult years.

The love that Ryan had for bicycles today, began when he was just a toddler. As a little guy, he loved “Hot Wheels” which he would ride so hard, brake hard and fast, turn circles, and would literally wear the hard plastic off parts of the tire. They would go “clump, clump” as the big holes came around when he peddled, which always called for a new one!  He went from a bike with training wheels as a toddler and continued to upgrade until he got to a nicer big bike at 12 years old, which he loved to ride, and he entered a race on Pleasure Island. Ryan was the only young person racing, all the others were men from their 20’s on up to 50’s, but that did not bother him a bit!

For many years Ryan biked almost every morning before work. Several years ago, his parents, and his wife, Amy, met Ryan in San Antonio after he rode his bicycle 95 miles on back roads from Austin to San Antonio in the extreme heat! It was not uncommon for him to ride in biking groups cycling 35-65+ miles per ride, and even after many bicycle accidents including a rather serious one several years ago that landed him in the hospital, his extreme love for biking continued.

While Ryan was a student at Monsignor Kelly High School, he and a friend were on the ferry in Galveston one Friday evening in April of 1995. At that time two men had struggled in the water near the Galveston ferry after their boat capsized. One man already drowned in the incident before Ryan could barely hear the survivor’s cries for help. He alerted the captain of the Galveston ferry who then alerted the Coast Guard, which led to the discovery of the survivor who had been in the water for over an hour. Ryan’s concern and persistence saved the Houston man’s life, and he was awarded a beautiful Commendation award by the Coast Guard for his role in the rescue.

To quote one of his schoolteachers, Ryan was a great kid, always polite, fun loving and kind. While he was never the straight A student, he was always loved by all of his teachers and staff.

Ryan moved to Austin in 1995 to attend the University of Texas and shortly thereafter started a food distribution company, D&S Distributing.  When juggling school and owning a business became too much, Ryan put college on hold until the dot-com crash hit in 1999.  After returning to school, Ryan worked for two prominent family law attorneys in Austin at the law firm of Piper and Powers.  At that same time, he also obtained his real estate license and worked for Ely Properties where he leased and sold residential properties on campus.  Upon graduating the University of Texas, Ryan took some time off and spent a summer in Costa Rica and then moved to Boulder, Colorado where he enjoyed cycling, mountain biking and snowboarding.

Ryan began law school in Virginia in 2004, obtained his third-year bar card and began working under the guidance of a family law attorney where he tried multiple contested family law cases prior to sitting for the bar exam.  Ryan ultimately moved back to Austin after passing the bar and opened his own law practice.  After successfully running his solo-practice for 10 years, Ryan was honored to be asked to join the team as a partner at Gray Becker, P.C.

Ryan was a trial lawyer who was very comfortable in the courtroom and passionate about the practice of law.  He was selected as a Rising Star and top-rated family law attorney by Super Lawyers in Texas Monthly Magazine in 2014-2015 and 2017-2018.  Ryan had extensive experience in all matters pertaining to family law, as well as both civil and criminal family violence and stalking cases, a topic which he presented on before the Austin Bar Association.

Ryan had so many mentors and special friends in the legal community. His mother recalls telling them at one time early in his career that he had a case up against one of the best lawyers in Austin, Perry Minton. He was so excited about the case, even though he was certain he would not prevail.  Regardless, he was excited because he knew he would learn a lot from the case.  And that is how Ryan always viewed life. As a never-ending learning experience.

Ryan was not only passionate about the law and defending his clients, but also about his many hobbies, such as cycling, both on and off road, yoga, camping, wake surfing, and traveling, Colorado and Mexico being two of his most favorite places to visit.  He was an avid music-lover, attending many, many concerts, and spending hours making the “perfect” playlists for his bike rides and road trips.  He loved Dave Matthews Band, My Morning Jacket and Jane’s Addiction, which were always on repeat.  Ryan was always the life of the party, a charismatic person with a wicked sense of humor that always made people smile.  He had a knack for meeting and striking up conversations with strangers wherever he went, many of those who later became lifelong friends.

Ryan loved his family, his friends and co-workers with all of his heart.  He had such a deep love for his sister, Morgan, who was also his best friend and confidant. When Morgan had her triplet babies, Hudson, Walter and Milly, (now 11 years old), Ryan fell deeply in love with them, and in return they fell in love with their Uncle Stymie!

Ryan was married for 7 years to a precious young lady, Amy.  When they got married, Ryan had a sparkle in his eyes like never before. Amy was/is beautiful, smart, gentle, patient, thoughtful, loving, caring, and she loved him deeply. Although, they were no longer together, she has always remained part of the Dougay family.

Ryan was a Christian and loved the Lord. He is with Jesus now in Heaven and is free and is at peace, although his family and friends know he has probably already turned up the music louder!

The love his family has for their dear, precious Stymie is so great it can never be measured, and their hearts are so broken. Ryan will be deeply missed and there will always be an emptiness without him for his family, friends and community, but everyone has so many wonderful memories that will be treasured forever, and his legacy will remain.

Ryan is survived by his parents, Mike and Milly Dougay, his sister, Morgan Fredeman, and her husband, Ken, and his niece and nephews, Milly, Hudson and Walter Moore.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Domestic Violence Clinic; University of Texas School of Law 727 E. Dean Keeton, Austin, Texas 78705

Mr. Dougay’s gathering will begin at 1:00 p.m., with his memorial service to follow at 2:00 p.m., Friday, July 15, 2022, at Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont, Texas.