Kathleen Patricia Ryan

Kathleen Patricia (Kathy) Ryan passed away at the age of 93 on her birthday, April 9, 2025. She was the only daughter of the late Kathryn A. (Ryan) Ryan and Edward P. Ryan.

 Kathy was born in Urbana and was a life-long member of St. Mary Church. She was very active at St. Mary and served on the Ladies Sodality, Parish Council, Finance Committee, and chaired the jewelry booth at the parish bazaar for many years. She was also a history buff and served as the unofficial historian and archivist of St. Mary Church and School. 

After graduating from St. Mary High, she attended Our Lady of Cincinnati (Edgecliff) College, which was later combined with Xavier University. Kathy began working for the Ohio Bell Telephone Company in 1952 and retired in 1983 as a business office manager. Following retirement, she worked at the American Lung Association and Sweet Annie store for another sixteen years. She enjoyed volunteering and was active in the Champaign County Preservation Alliance Tour of Homes, delivered meals for Meals on Wheels, and was a hospitality volunteer at Mercy Hospital. 

Kathy loved to travel and was able to visit many sites in the U.S. and Europe. She especially loved her visits to Ireland, the ancestral home of her grandparents. These trips led to an interest in genealogy and she spent many hours researching the family tree and history. Also an avid reader, she often said that she wanted to live until she finished reading all of the books she had accumulated.

Of all her interests, Kathy most enjoyed spending time with her family and friends. She eagerly attended school recitals, graduations, celebrations of religious milestones, countless wedding and baby showers, and family reunions.

 A true friend and neighbor, she was always there for those who needed her. Kathy was preceded in death by her beloved parents and her five brothers, John (Theresa), Paul (Carolyn), Thomas (Marilyn), Robert (Ida) and Joseph. She mourned the early deaths of her nieces, Katherine Ryan Mardis and Marie Ryan, and her infant nephew, John Anthony Ryan. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Rosemary Ryan, and numerous nieces and nephews and their families. Kathy’s family would like to thank her niece, Maureen, and her neighbor and friend, Vickie Park, for their loving care in her final years. The family would also like to acknowledge the aides, nurses, chefs, and staff of her memory care residence, as well as the exceptional nurses of Day City Hospice who treated Kathy with such dignity and compassion.

The family will receive friends from 4:00-6:00 PM on Monday, April 21st, at the Walter and Lewis Funeral Home, 642 S. Main St., Urbana. A funeral mass will be celebrated at St. Mary Church on Tuesday, April 22nd, at 10:00 AM. Interment will follow at Oakdale Cemetery. Donations in Kathleen’s honor may be made to St. Mary Church, Maryknoll Missions, Covenant House, or St. Jude Hospital for Children. Condolences may be expressed to the family by visiting www.walterfunerals.com.