Gerard Ryan

He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

Gerard was born on November 3, 1946 at Astoria General Hospital in Astoria, New York. His parents were John Ryan and Mary (Condon) Ryan. Gerard was raised in Astoria, New York. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

Growing up in the Ryan household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Gerard was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Gerard was raised with four siblings, Richard, Dorothy, Veronica and Robert. Gerard was constantly involved in activities with his brothers and sisters. Gerard and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Gerard was always consistently loyal to his family.

As a young child, Gerard was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Gerard developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Gerard took part in baseball, basketball and track. However, what Gerard enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Gerard as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from William Cullen Bryant High School in 1964. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. Gerard was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Gerard always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

On July 8, 1994 Gerard exchanged wedding vows with Beatriz Elizabeth Johnson in New York. Compassionate and devoted to Beatriz, Gerard held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Beatriz and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his family happy.

Gerard brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Gerard was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Gerard was blessed with two children, a daughter Pamela Knight and a son Stephen Ryan. He was also blessed with one granddaughter, Kamylle Knight.

Gerard greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Gerard enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Gerard was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was Vice President Financial Officer. He was employed for over 25 years at Prudential Securities. Gerard worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

Gerard was a Navy veteran. He was in Japan and the Philippines. Gerard saw action for Vietnam. A literal thinker who possessed a calm exterior, Gerard seemed to enjoy the routines set forth by the military. His results-oriented approach to things made him committed to the job, and he understood well his role in serving his country.

Gerard liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Gerard always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite hobbies were playing with "KK" his granddaughter Kamylle and watching old John Wayne movies. Gerard was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

Gerard found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. In high school, Gerard played baseball, basketball and track. Recreational sports included coaching Cyo basketball. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were basketball, baseball and football.

Gerard was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was a member of St. Joseph's for many years. Later on he joined New Life Fellowship Church with Beatriz his wife.

Gerard fought a brave battle against C.O.P.D and cancer. He is survived by his children Pamela and Stephen. Gerard was laid to rest in Calverton National Cemetery in Calverton, New York.

He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.