John Earl Ryan, 88, of Bartlett Road, Lebanon, passed away Monday, November 19, 2018 at Community Memorial Hospital in Hamilton after a brief illness. John was born March 22, 1930 in Norwich, NY, a son of John and Helen Reddy Ryan and spent much of his youth in Penn Yan and Bellona, NY. On January 3, 1955, he married Marilyn Margaret White of Waltham, MA. Married for 48 years, Marilyn predeceased John in December 2002. John proudly served in the U.S. Army for 22 years attaining the rank of Chief Warrant Officer III and was the recipient of several meritorious service medals including a Bronze Star. Upon his retirement from the military John and his family relocated to Central New York where he spent nearly all the last 47 years as a resident of Lebanon. He worked as a letter carrier for the US Postal Service in Hamilton for over 20 years until retiring in 1992. John was a man of many hobbies and interests, he travelled extensively throughout his lifetime, was an avid reader and outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing and foraging. John had a beautiful singing voice, he performed in community productions and sang in his church choir. By far his favorite songs, however, were Irish folk songs and ballads, a fondness cultivated while exploring Ireland and his Irish genealogy. He was a communicant of St. Mary’s Church in Hamilton and a member of the V.F.W. and the B.P.O. Elks Club.
He will be dearly missed by his six children, John H. Ryan of Earlville; Shauna and Stephen King of Dallas, TX; Kathleen and Tim Woodcock of Milliken, CO; Patrick and Deborah Ryan of Longmont, CO; Karen Antley of Poolville and Laurie Meier of Poolville. He was Grampy or Grandpa Jack to 13 grandchildren who brought him great joy. He is predeceased by sisters Patricia Rhodes and Regina Pokrzywinski. He leaves a beloved brother, Kevin Ryan of Brockport and his wife Linda, several nieces and nephews, and many dear friends, especially Mary Bigford of Earlville.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated for John at 2pm Saturday, December 1, 2018 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 16 Wylie St., Hamilton, NY and a gathering in his memory will follow at 3pm at the Colgate Inn, 1 Payne St., Hamilton, NY. Interment with military honors will be in St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Hamilton at a later date.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Burgess & Tedesco Funeral Home, 3 Preston St., Earlville, NY.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in John’s memory to Operation Homefront at operationhomefront.org.
To send a condolence and sign the Book of Memories online go to www.burgessandtedescofuneralhomes.com