JOAN RYAN

FORT WORTH -- Joan Kelly Ryan, a lifelong resident of Fort Worth, died peacefully Sunday afternoon, Jan. 6, 2013, surrounded by her loving family, late in her 78th year. Memorial service: 2 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. Mrs. 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: In lieu of flowers, consideration of contributions to All Saints' Episcopal School, 9700 Saints Circle, Fort Worth, Texas 76108; Fort Worth Country Day, 4200 Country Day Lane, Fort Worth, Texas 76109; St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 917 Lamar St., Fort Worth, Texas 76102; Union Gospel Mission, 1321 E. Lancaster Ave., Fort Worth, Texas 76102; or a charity of choice, in her memory, is suggested. Born in Fort Worth on Jan. 26, 1934, Joan was the daughter of Katherine Brooks and Raymond B. Kelly Sr. She graduated from The Hockaday School in 1952 and Smith College in 1956. Following graduation, she married Edwin S. Ryan, her beloved husband of 55 years. A Proverbs 31 mother, Joan's life was devoted to family and friends. As she struggled with her own health, she continued to be concerned for others. She appeared to have a twin as she was everywhere with her children, never missing a school activity, driving across Texas for tennis tournaments and attending all her children's sporting events. In the freezing cold and rain, Mom was there and many times she was the only one in the stands. Joan enjoyed entertaining family and friends at the Stripling Lodge on Eagle Mountain Lake. Summer vacations in Colorado with her children and grandchildren were some of her very favorite times and fondest memories. She cherished traveling with friends throughout the United States and Europe and was always the one who planned the itinerary. She was well known for her incredible organization and efficiency. She kept meticulous notes for family parties from year to year and, in fact, just this past Christmas she organized another Christmas Eve gathering for her family. She was just a phone call away to answer any question about proper etiquette, grammar or historical family information. Joan was a longtime member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and River Crest Country Club, a past president of the Assembly and served on the boards of Junior League of Fort Worth, Jewel Charity, Lena Pope Home and the Lecture Foundation. Additionally, she was a past board member of numerous educational, charitable and social organizations. Mrs. Ryan was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Eddie; brothers, Raymond B. Kelly Jr. and Gordon B. Kelly Sr.; sisters-in-law, Martha Morehead Kelly, Joan Perkins Kelly, Elizabeth Ryan Bond and Anne Ryan Chilton; and brothers-in-law, John C Ryan III, Edward M. Muse Jr. and William Ernest Chilton Jr. Survivors: In addition to her 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, Joan is survived by her grandchildren, Emily, Robert, Lucy and Katherine Ryan, Chris, Phillip and Allison Ryan, and David and Marshall Whitaker; sisters-in-law, Lucy Ryan Muse and Nancy Royall Ryan; 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 JOAN RYAN please visit our Sympathy Store.