Obituary of Frederick William Ryan

RYAN, FREDERICK WILLIAM (BILL) passed away on Friday, March 30th, 2012 at Saint John Regional Hospital. Bill was born in Lancaster in 1936 and lived his entire life on the West Side of Saint John. He was the son of the late Frederick William Ryan (Fred) and Eleanore Ryan (nee Campbell). He attended Beaconsfield, Saint John High School and U.N.B. Fredericton, receiving his B.Sc. in Chemistry in 1958. During the summers of 1957 and 1958, he worked for Atomic Energy of Canada in Chalk River, Ontario. Bill married his childhood sweetheart Patricia June Spinney in 1959 and raised four children all born in the 1960s: Michael, Kathleen, Eric and Claire. He worked at Moosehead Breweries for 33 years as a research chemist and as Manager of Quality Control. With Moosehead, he travelled to many international brewing conventions and was the former President of the Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute. Bill was known and appreciated for his unique sense of humour, his love of teasing and his grin. Bill was also quite an athlete. He cross-country skied, played badminton, softball and golf. He was a super goalie in Old Timers hockey, participating for many years in an annual hockey tournament in Maine. His quick goalie reflexes served him well in later life after diabetes caused him to lose one leg in his sixties, and another in his seventies. Each time, with determination, he learned to walk again and even recently played road hockey with his grand children. He loved to swim and continued to do so, despite his physical challenges. He loved to read, enjoying science fiction, books on the physics of the universe (black holes in particular) and his weekly edition of The Economist. Bill loved to travel with his wife and children every summer for a week in P.E.I. and another week in Fundy National Park. After the children grew up, Bill and Patricia went many times to Europe and the Caribbean, enjoying Cuba in particular. His favourite trips however, were to Cobourg, Ontario and St-Lambert, Quebec to visit his grand children Ryan and Alexander Elliott, and Max, Leo, Luc and Lily Brodeur. The grandchildren loved hanging out with the "Grampie Bird!" He will be sadly missed by the entire family. Bill is survived by his wife Patricia, his son Michael (Vicky Fillmore) and his daughters Kathleen (Grant Elliott) and Claire (Andre Brodeur); sister-in-law, Shirley Cobham, of Saint John; nephews Andrew (Josie), of Rothesay, Mark (Cindy), of Sussex Corners, David, of Rothesay, Paul, of Saint John, Peter, Bedford, NS, Philip (Darlene), of Bedford, NS, Christopher (Alicia), Waverly, NS Macaulay and Bruce (Jill) Spinney, of Ontario; niece, Shawne Spinney, of Ontario. He was predeceased by his son Eric. Arrangements have been entrusted to Castle Funeral Home, “Fallsview Chapel”, 309 Lancaster Avenue, Saint John West, (634-1701) visitation will take place on Friday, April 06, 2012 from 2-4 p.m. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 07, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. from Castle Funeral Home. A reception will take place at the Fallsview Family Reception Center, following the service. Donations, in memory of Bill, may be made to the Canadian Diabetes Association.