In the early morning hours of Sunday, August 2, Meg Reilly Syfan passed away at her home in Los Osos. Her last moments were spent in the company of her immediate family and loving friends. A celebration of life gathering is being planned for the fall of 2026, but specific details are not yet available.
Meg was born on March 2, 1961, and grew up in the Santa Monica area alongside her sister, Maureen, and her brother, Mark. As a girl, she could often be found on the beach with her best friends Diana and Megan. She later met her husband, Rollins “Rye” Syfan, in 1985, their first date taking place on his sailboat. The couple married in the winter of 1987 before moving to Los Osos in 1993 with their two daughters, Kellie and Taylor. They traveled as a family often, going as far as the southernmost tip of New Zealand.
During her life, Meg’s impact on the Los Osos community was vast, and her contributions can be felt even in her absence. She was active in local initiatives including the preservation of green spaces, served as a board member for S&T Water Company, and was a healer for many in the form of massage therapy, reiki, and meditation.
As well, earlier this year, Meg organized a ‘Walk for Peace’ that began in Los Osos and ended in downtown San Luis Obispo in the spirit of the Buddhist monks who walked across the United States for the same purpose. This achievement demonstrated not only Meg’s commitment to spreading the message of peace and compassion but attested to her stalwart determination; When Meg set her mind to a task, she saw it through with obstinance, grace, and love.
More than anything Meg will be remembered as a beacon of joy by all who had the pleasure of knowing her. She was a Buddhist, and she smiled like one. An avid practitioner of yoga, she could do the splits and often proved it. She enjoyed singing and dancing to her favorite songs but failed to properly memorize the words to Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone,” a fault that brought her to tears laughing every time she tried to sing it. She insisted upon doing cold plunges in the ocean at Spooner’s Cove, claiming that it “wasn’t that bad” while her loved ones shivered on the shoreline. She adored and probably spoiled her two beloved dogs, Sage and Rio; The latter of whom was snuggled loyally by her side in her final moments.
She was beautiful, in every way, to the very end.
