Norman K. Ryan
April 16, 1936 – July 9, 2020
A memorial will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Friendship Village Staff Appreciation Fund or Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan.
Obituary
Norm passed away at Friendship Village on Thursday, July 9, 2020 at the age of 84. He was born in Sturgis Michigan on April 16, 1936, the son of the late Homer and Pearl (Hoopingarner) Ryan. Norm was preceded in death by Joan, his wife of 64 years in 2018 and his daughter, Cheryl. He is survived by his children, Rhonda (Dick) Misiasz and Renee (Dave) Healy; son in-law, Jim (Judy) Cunningham; along with 7 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.
Norm retired after 43 years in the paper industry in 1997. In his retirement, he enjoyed golfing and shooting. He was very proud of his grandchildren and their accomplishments.
A memorial will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Friendship Village Staff Appreciation Fund or Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan. The family would like to thank Friendship Village and Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan for their kind care.
Remembering Norm Ryan. I worked for Norm at James River Corp in a number of management positions 1986-1996. Norm was tough, brilliant and a keen sighted leader. He made a lot of difficult decisions under numerous difficult situations. We all benefited from his leadership and would do well to model his leadership energy.
To the family of Norm Ryan – Norm was a special person. I am one of Norm’s Naples Golf buddies and I have played golf and had lunch with Norm many times. He will be sorely missed. Norm and I shared a western Michigan background and I so enjoyed talking with Norm about fishing, golf, world politics and even technology. Norm was a thinker and it was easy to have a meaningful conversation with Norm. As the years progressed, Norm’s drives got shorter and we tried to keep him out of the sand traps for fear of falling – Father Time catches up with us all .. but, Norm’s love of the game and desire to be with his friend’s never wavered. God’s peace to you all.
So sorry to hear of Norm’s passing. I worked with Norm at Brown Co. and through all the other changes. Whenever I attended the monthly mgmt. meetings I always felt we were in good hands. I was amazed at how quickly Norm could do the financial numbers in his head. Quite a smart fellow. Norm always took a moment to acknowledge me whenever our paths crossed. Red and Jim, I am sure he will be missed by all of his family and friends. Sincerely Bob Morrison
So sorry to hear belatedly of Uncle Norm’s passing and send condolences to Rhonda, Renee and extended family. I haven’t seen him since he and his brother Tom attended their older brother Bob’s (my dad) surprise 70th. But my dad said Norm and Joan were an exceptional couple, giving us all hope that love and marriage could and did last. May he rest in peace.
I worked in Norm’s organization from 1982 to 1994. I echo the comments made by John Miner. Norm was an inspiration to me in my career and will never be forgotten.