James William Ryan II

James William Ryan passed away on August 31, with his family by his side.

He is predeceased by his parents, Joseph G. and Mary Agnes Ryan, and by his brothers, Joseph E. and Edward J. Ryan, and uncle James W. Ryan. Jim is survived by his adoring sisters, Mary Pat Kieselbach, Louise Riley (Tom), Peggy Woods, Katie Toplitz (Steven), and Marian Ryan (Zoltan). He is also survived by his nephew, Jeffrey Kieselbach, Jr., nieces, Michele Toplitz and Jaclyn Margherita (Greg), and great-nephew, Jack Margherita.

Jim was a graduate of Paramus High School. He was employed by Cortel Business Solutions in Manhattan for 25 years, in a position he excelled at and enjoyed. He was a master at fixing and repairing anything from a young age, with an extremely analytical mind.

Jim appreciated and found great interest in everything in the universe, from astronomy, meteorology, and everything outdoors, where he spent much of his time, asking, “Why would anyone stay inside when they could be outside?” He was continuously amazed by all of God’s creations, enjoying gardening, animals, and everything in nature.

He had an extremely kind and gentle nature, always ready to help out friends and family in any way.

He enjoyed several trips to Ireland with his family, and recently said he hoped to meet up with the Irish ancestors above. He enjoyed the sites there and the camaraderie and music in the Irish pubs.

He loved classic rock, especially the music of the ’60s and ’70s, even though he was a young boy at the time. His all-time favorite were the Beatles.

But most of all, Jim loved his family, finding great comfort and pleasure in Sunday dinners and reminiscing about happy family time spent together over the years. He was highly appreciative of what he had in life, saying recently, “I’ve been very fortunate—I’ve had a nice life.”

Family and friends will miss him greatly, but we’ll hold him in our hearts and spirits every day until we meet again.

In lieu of flowers, donations to St Jude’s Hospital are greatly appreciated.