Leo James Ryan Jr.

1937 - 2022

Leo James Ryan Jr. passed away on May 4, 2022, in Santa Cruz, California, after battling an aggressive cancer.

"Dear Old Dad," as he referred to himself, was born on September 14, 1937, to Marion and Leo James Ryan Sr., in Albany, New York. He graduated with honors from Bethlehem Central High School in 1955 and received his B.A. in Physics from Colgate University in 1959, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

After pursuing graduate studies at Sydney University in Australia and Ohio State University and briefly serving with the Army National Guard, Leo launched his career in international banking. His first banking position was with Chase Manhattan, where he spent a number of years abroad as Vice President at Chase Manhattan's London and Hong Kong offices. He then joined Union Bank as Senior Vice President of its international division in Los Angeles, settling down with his family in Santa Monica, California. In 1976, seeking adventure down under, Leo and his family moved to Sydney Australia to join his former "best man" as CFO at Aquila Steel. Following Aquila, he worked as a financial consultant at various firms across the U.S., ultimately retiring in Charlottesville, Virginia, with his life partner of 35 years, Sara Hoehn.

Throughout his life, Leo "savored, appreciated and enjoyed the present." He developed a comprehensive expertise on a wide variety of topics and enjoyed sharing his encyclopedic knowledge with a rapt audience. He was a voracious reader of all things historical and political and relished a good crime novel and/or political thriller. He was also passionate about music, particularly American folk. On the sports front, Leo had been an avid tennis player in earlier years and particularly enjoyed playing at the Riviera Tennis Club in Los Angeles. Leo was a rock to his children instilling in them a lifelong desire to learn, understand and engage with the world.

Given all of Leo's many inspiring qualities, what stands out was his kindness. Leo was compassionate and thoughtful with everyone he encountered and will forever serve as a reminder to focus on the good and not sweat the small stuff.

Leo is survived by his two children, Debbie Ryan (Tom Lynch) of Santa Cruz, and Sean Ryan of San Francisco; his sister, Katy McDonald; niece, Jennifer McDonald; nephew, John McDonald; as well as the children of his life partner, Sara Hoehn, William "Bill" Hoehn, and Mary Hoehn who cherished Leo as their own. Leo will be deeply missed by his friends and family.

A private memorial for Leo will be held in Carmel, California later in the year.