Susan Jane Ryan

Susan Jane Ryan (née Walsh), 84, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, passed away peacefully in Annapolis, MD on May 10, 2025 due to complications from Parkinson's Disease. She was predeceased by her husband, George L. Ryan (d. 2023).

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Norwood, New Jersey, Susan spent her summers with her siblings and parents in Breezy Point, New York, where as a young woman she would meet the love of her life, George "Lanny" Ryan of nearby Belle Harbor. Their story began at a dance hall in Breezy Point called Kennedy's. They would spend a lifetime with their beach chairs touching, watching their kids and grandkids swim in the ocean they loved.

After high school, Susan worked as a publishing house secretary in Manhattan, saving diligently to pursue her dream of living abroad. Her adventurous spirit led her to France, where she worked as a nanny and developed a love of French culture (and croissants). Later, she would move to Switzerland, working as an assistant at the United Nations in Geneva. Throughout her travels, she stayed connected to Lanny through heartfelt letters, all of which she saved. As her friends, family, and husband knew all too well, Susan liked to save just about everything.

Susan and Lanny married and started their life together in Manhattan in an apartment in Stuyvesant Town and later moved to Chappaqua, New York, where they raised their three children, Kevin, Denis, and Jennifer. They forged life-long friendships from their time in Stuyvesant Town and Chappaqua, spending joyful holidays and vacations with friends and family. They and their children, and later, their grandchildren, spent their summers on the beach in Breezy Point, barbequing with the nearby Ryan family in Belle Harbor and sharing Sunday night spaghetti dinners on Gotham Walk with the Walsh clan.

Always determined and curious, Susan went to college while raising her children, earning her bachelor's degree in Counseling from Pace University. Susan's degree was a particular point of pride for her husband, Lanny, who greatly valued education. They helped instill this love of learning in their children and grandchildren.

In their later years, Susan and Lanny retired to Vero Beach, Florida, where they enjoyed their home at Orchid Island, making wonderful new friends there. Active in the Vero Beach community, she volunteered and coordinated fundraising events for Habitat for Humanity and supported the flourishing Vero Beach arts scene. Susan was also a lively tennis and golf partner, avid gardener, enthusiastic painter and weaver of Nantucket baskets.

Susan and Lanny loved to travel. They explored the Far East, Africa, and Europe together and always encouraged and supported their children and grandchildren's global excursions. Susan loved photographing her journeys, especially the flora and fauna that would inspire her paintings. A delighted grandmother, she filled her home with books and crafts, always drawing, writing and telling magical stories with her eight grandkids. She never failed to shower them with love, attention, and, on every Christmas, a shipped box of ready-to-bake croissants.

Susan is survived by her children, Kevin (Julie) Ryan, Denis (Valerie) Ryan, and Jennifer (Chris) Onken; her eight grandchildren, Shay, Finn, Ty, Nick, Kate, Gus, Nate and Caroline; and her siblings, Linda, Billy, and Bobby. She will be remembered for her creativity and independence, deep devotion to family, and the joyful spark with which she lived her life.

A celebration of life will be held this summer for family at their home in Breezy Point. Please celebrate Susan's life by laughing hard with friends and family or taking a quiet moment to admire the beauty of an orchid, a sandpiper, or the way the sun sparkles just right on the water.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Habitat for Humanity of Indian River County, Florida: https://www.irchabitat.org/donate/ or Hospice of the Chesapeake: https://www.hospicechesapeake.org/giving/donate-now/