From a contemporary press report:
William Thomas Ryan of Ft. Myers, Florida, passed this life on January 19, 1999 in Lewes, Delaware. He was born in Troy, New York, the son of the late New York Senator John P. Ryan and Mary Agnes McCarthy Ryan. He is survived by his wife, Mary Louise Ryan and sons, Thomas Ryan of New York City and Michael Ryan of Miami, Florida; several nieces, nephews and their families. His brothers, John P. Ryan Jr. and James J. Ryan predeceased him.
A member of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Class of 1948, Lieutenant Ryan served in Korea where he was wounded on April 19, 1951, and awarded the Purple Heart. He was promoted to Captain and honorably discharged in 1954.
In 1978, Captain Ryan opened Ryan Real Estate, Inc., in Dewey Beach, Delaware. He served as Magistrate of Rehoboth Beach, and when Dewey Beach was incorporated, he was elected a Town Commissioner.
In 1994, Captain Ryan moved to Ft. Myers. He was a member of Whiskey Creek Country Club and resided in Caloosa Yacht and Racquet Club. He was a lifetime member of the VFW of Rehoboth Beach, and member of the Catholic Church of the Resurrection, Ft. Myers.
Graveside services will be held at the Columbarium at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia on Thursday, February 4, 1999 at 1 p.m. Friends should arrive at the cemetery by 12:30 p.m. A reception will follow the interment. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to Tunnell Cancer Center, 424 Savannah Rd., Lewes, DE 19958-0226 in care of Srihari Peri, MD.
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard