John J. Ryan, age 77, long-time resident of Hampton, NH and recent resident of Silver Spring, MD, died of complications from diabetes and heart disease on Tuesday, August 23, 2022.
John was born in Boston on October 31, 1944 to John Julian Ryan and Mary Perkins Ryan. The oldest of five brothers, he lived in Indiana and Missouri before the family settled in Goffstown, NH, where he attended Bishop Bradley High School in Manchester, NH. If the stories he told his kids are to be believed, he was an average student, a decent baseball player, and an occasional hooligan who once threw a jelly donut out a car window at a police officer.
John-Jo met the love of his life, Barbara Ann, on a blind date in Minneapolis while on Easter break from St John's University in Collegeville, MN. They married in 1969, after John finished law school at the University of Maine, and moved to New Hampshire. Together they raised two incredibly lucky children, Meagen Marie and Sean Gordon. Theirs was a home full of love and tradition. John made hamburgers and french fries every Saturday and breakfast after Mass every Sunday. He taught both kids to golf, including lessons in attire, etiquette, swearing, and occasional club throwing. Both Barb and John loved history, so summer vacations included history museums, historic battlefields, historic homes, historic churches, historic walking tours, historic reenactments, and historic gift shoppes. John never failed to take the kids to the motel pool as a reward.
John was a top-notch attorney, deservedly proud of the impact he had on real estate law in New Hampshire. He was never blessed with great physical health yet enjoyed a good walk--to work, around the neighborhood after dinner, down the fairways of Abenaqui Country Club, and behind the lawn mower. As a young man, he played folk music in bars and continued to play his beloved Martin guitar his whole life. He was creative, though he wouldn't have used that word. The homes of his family and friends are full of things he made--calligraphy and woodworking of all kinds. He had endless knowledge of pens, inks, alphabets, woods, hand tools, power tools, sandpaper, stains, and the finer points of mortise and tenon joinery.
John's curmudgeonly exterior barely concealed a generous heart and great sense of humor. After decades of wearing suits and ties, he developed a love of quirky t-shirts and brightly colored socks, often paired with shorts and worn well into November. After moving to Maryland to be closer to Meagen, he adopted his first pet. He adored Smokey, a gentle giant of a cat who was never far from his side. He tried to remember to thank all of the wonderful doctors, nurses, and caregivers that cared for him. In case he missed a few, his family extends their heartfelt gratitude at everything you did to make his life better.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Barbara Ann Reger Ryan, parents John Julian and Mary Perkins Ryan, and brother Thomas Edmund Ryan. He is survived by his daughter, Meagen Ryan Williams, her husband Kevin, and their son Keaton of Silver Spring, MD; his son Sean Ryan and his wife Katy of Camden, SC; and his brothers, Peter Ryan of Charlottesville, VA, Michael Ryan of Hilton Head, SC, and David Ryan and his wife Sheila Burns of Fort Bragg, CA. A mass of Christian burial, followed by a celebration of life will be held in Minnesota this fall, where John will be buried next to Barbara in St. Patrick's Cemetery in Maple Grove, MN. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to your local animal shelter to support the adoption of more best friends like Smokey.
Published in Exeter News-Letter/Hampton Union, Exeter News-Letter/Hampton Union