He was born at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro MA, a son of William Henry and Marie Celena Ryder.
Austin graduated from North Attleboro High School in 1942 and attended Colby College in Maine before leaving for military service. In the US Army from 1943 – 1946, he saw action in Belgium, France and Germany, where he was wounded twice, and met the Russians on the Elbe River. He earned the Combat Infantry Badge and was the recipient of a number of awards including two Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star. He attended many reunions of the 102nd Ozark Infantry Division.
Austin was married for 50 years to his grade school classmate, Betty Cushman Riley, who died in 1998. He is survived by his cherished daughter, Elizabeth Ryder of Mansfield, MA and his sister, Marie Ryder Riley, of North Attleboro. He was the brother of the late Dr. Brooks Ryder and Janet Ryder Robinson, and has many nieces, nephews, and friends who share happy memories of him.
Austin Ryder was a salesman at Paye & Baker Manufacturing Company, then manager of Riley Brothers Lumber Company, both in North Attleboro, until his retirement in 1986 when he moved permanently to Cape Cod. He served as Fire Commissioner of North Attleboro for many years and was a member of the Kiwanis Club and the Bristol Lodge AM FM. He was proud of his service to the North Attleboro Commission for the Handicapped, and took great pleasure in helping people.
He enjoyed reading, wood working, and collecting model fire trucks. Austin also rescued several Golden Retrievers over the years who were his companions in Chatham.
Visiting hours will be from 5-7 pm on Wednesday, October 10th at Sperry & Mc Houl Funeral Home, 15 Grove Street in North Attleboro and 4-6 pm on Thursday, October 11th at Nickerson Funeral Home, 87 Crowell Road in Chatham. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, contributions would be greatly appreciated at either the Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue League at www.ygrr.org/donations.html (P.O. Box 808, Hudson, Massachusetts 01749-0808) or the National Multiple Sclerosis Society at www.nationalmssociety.org.
Many thanks to all the dear staff at The Terraces in Orleans where Austin lived at the time of his passing.
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