EDWIN RYAN

Edwin Stripling Ryan, a lifelong resident of Fort Worth, died peacefully in his sleep Sunday, May 20, 2012, during his 81st year. Memorial service: 4 p.m. Thursday at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 917 Lamar St., with the Rev. Dr. R. William Dickson, rector of the church, and the Rt. Rev. Sam B. Hulsey, retired bishop, officiating. Mr. Ryan's cremated remains will be placed privately on the Ryan family plot in Greenwood Memorial Park. Immediately following the service, family and friends will be received in the church's Moncrief Hall. Memorials: Should friends desire, in lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to All Saints' Episcopal School, 9700 Saints Circle, Fort Worth, Texas 76108; Fort Worth Country Day School, 4200 Country Day Lane, Fort Worth, Texas 76109; Cook Children's Medical Center, 801 Seventh Ave., Fort Worth, Texas 76104; or St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 917 Lamar St., Fort Worth, Texas 76102. Born in Fort Worth on Oct. 20, 1930, Edwin Stripling "Eddie" Ryan was the son of Lucy Stripling and John C Ryan Jr. He graduated from Phillips Andover Academy in 1949 and Yale University in 1953. Immediately following graduation, he served in the United States Army for two years. On July 7, 1956, he married Joan Kelly, his beloved wife of 55 years. Upon completion of his service in the U.S. Army, Mr. Ryan spent the next 57 years in the insurance industry. He joined Thomas M. Ryan & Co. in 1955 as an executive and partner. After the merger of Thomas M. Ryan & Co. and Higginbotham & Associates in 1992, he continued his association with the company. Eddie loved being with and teasing all the "younger guys" at Higginbotham. Eddie had a quiet but active faith and after his cancer diagnosis he said he was ready to go home to his Lord and Savior. Mr. Ryan was a lifelong member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. He was a member of River Crest Country Club, president of the Exchange Club and past member of the Steeplechase Club. He was president of the board of trustees of Fort Worth Children's Hospital and served many years on the boards of Fort Worth Country Day and the Child Study Center. Eddie always said his proudest achievement was his service on the select committee responsible for the successful merger of Fort Worth Children's Hospital with Cook Children's Hospital, now Cook Children's Medical Center. Eddie had a wonderful sense of humor, was compassionate, extremely loyal, full of integrity and very patriotic. His favorite hymns often brought tears to his eyes. He was a devoted friend to all who knew him and his bright, contagious smile made everyone feel special. Personal passions included coaching Little League baseball at Westside Lions and Gray Y football. Eddie enjoyed entertaining family and friends at the Stripling lodge on Eagle Mountain Lake, the duck blind in Alvord and the deer lease in Palo Pinto County. Summer vacations in Colorado with his children and grandchildren were his favorite times and fondest memories. He also cherished traveling with friends throughout the United States and Europe. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lucy Stripling and John C Ryan Jr.; brother, John C Ryan III; sisters, Elizabeth Ryan Bond and Anne Ryan Chilton; brothers-in-law, Edward M. Muse Jr., William Ernest Chilton Jr. and Raymond B. Kelly Jr.; and sisters-in-law, Martha Morehead Kelly and Joan Perkins Kelly. Survivors: In addition to his wife, Joan Kelly Ryan, Mr. Ryan is survived by his children, J. Kelly Ryan, Edwin Stripling Ryan Jr. and his wife, Patricia, Christopher Kingsbery Ryan and his wife, Myra, and Lucy Ryan Whitaker and her husband, John; grandchildren, Emily, Robert, Lucy and Katherine Ryan, Chris, Phillip and Allison Ryan, and David and Marshall Whitaker; sister, Lucy Ryan Muse; sister-in-law, Nancy Royall Ryan; brother-in-law, Dr. Gordon B. Kelly; and many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family members. Robertson Mueller Harper Funerals & Cremations 1500 Eighth Ave., 817-924-4233 To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of EDWIN RYAN please visit our Sympathy Store.