James C. Ryan's Obituary
James Charles “Jim” Ryan Jr., age 93, passed away on Saturday February 27 after a short illness. He was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years and the love of his life, Margie, his sister Cynthia Reardon, brother Mike Ryan and parents James Sr. and Gertrude Sullivan Ryan. He is survived by his sister JoAnne Read of Louisville, KY. Jim and Margie leave the legacy of 6 children: Vicky (Bob) Oelke of Collierville, TN, Kerry (Phil) Gerken of Geneva, OH, Molly Boswell of Dayton, OH, Katie (Mark) Sauser of Memphis, Marty (Eleanor) of Cleveland, OH and Maureen (Ken) Baker of Knoxville, TN. The legacy continues with 20 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. Jim was born in Painesville, OH on Jan. 10, 1928, but moved around during the depression years until the family settled in Youngstown, OH where he met and eventually married Margie Rochford. Jim attended Ohio State but left to enter the Navy. He then went on to graduate from Case Institute of Technology (now part of Case Western Reserve University) with a degree in Electrical Engineering. Jim worked in Pittsburgh, PA and Warren, OH, until settling in Springfield, OH where Margie and Jim spent many happy years raising their family. Then came the BIG MOVE in 1974 when Jim was offered a promotion in Memphis, TN. A great cultural shift was experienced by the family, and that proved to be the last move. He eventually retired from Hunter Fans. Jim was an active member of St. Louis Parish for many years, including service with the Serra club and St. Vincent de Paul, serving as a lector, eucharistic minister, and sacristan. As well, Jim held many interests and had a very active and inquisitive mind: he was well read, enjoyed crossword and sudoku puzzles, and traveling. Jim became an active member at his new residence at The Village where he remained young at heart and enjoyed bridge, ballroom dancing, and spending time with friends. Anybody who met Jim was immediately charmed by his kindness and friendliness, but it was his devout Catholic faith and lifelong commitment to living a moral life that defined him. Jim was an eternal optimist, and his life was centered on loving his family and serving others. However, it was loving God and serving Him that was his guiding star, as he was apt to remind everyone with the mantra to “keep God in your plans”.
Donations can be made to the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Services will be held at 10:00 on Friday March 5 at St. Louis Catholic Church, with visitation on Thursday evening from 5-7at Memorial Park and Cemetery.
The Service will be livestreamed: Go to the church website:
stlouischurchmphs.org, and click on “watch Sunday mass”
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