Theodore Ryan

Theodore (Ted) H. Ryan passed away on June 26, 2009, at the age of 81. He was born in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Jan. 19, 1928.
Ted grew up in Twin Falls and graduated from Twin Falls High School in 1946. In high school, he starred on the football, basketball and baseball teams and served as Student Body President. After graduation, Ted enlisted in the U.S. Army and served for two years, receiving his honorable discharge. The G.I. Bill allowed him to go on to college. He attended his freshman year of college at Utah State and his last three years at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He graduated with a degree in Agronomy.
At Cornell, he met Colleen Collins who was working on her master's degree in education. Ted described her as the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and couldn't believe that he was lucky enough to date her. They were married on Aug. 31, 1952.
Armed with his Agronomy degree, Ted began his life long career in the seed business in Caldwell. There he worked for Allied Seed Company from 1952 to 1961. He left Allied to start an agri-business company called Farmaterials in Baker, Ore. He left that business in 1964 and began working for Albert Dickinson Seed Co. in Twin Falls. He moved with that company to Nampa in 1966. The ownership of that seed company changed hands several times over the years and had various names such as Rudy Patrick Seed Company, W.R. Grace Seed Company, North American Plant Breeders and Agripro. Nevertheless, Ted remained with the same group for the remainder of his career. In 1971, he moved to the company's national headquarters in Kansas City and assumed the position of national sales and marketing director. That position evolved into Vice President of Operations which is where he stayed until his retirement in 1990.
Ted was a devoted family man. He and Colleen had five children, Tom, Pat, Tim, Kelly and Shauna. He loved spending time with his family and was always available to be the coach, driver, cheerleader, umpire, referee or whatever was needed to promote his children's sports and other extracurricular activities. He was deservedly proud that he and Colleen were able to put all of their children through college.
Ted, Colleen and family made Lawrence, Kan., their home beginning in 1971. Colleen received her doctorate degree in education at the University of Kansas in 1979 and worked at the university until 1990. They were avid supporters of KU for many years.
Ted was a stroke victim and in a wheel chair for many of his later years following retirement. However, it gave him and Colleen a handicap seat on the floor of Allen Fieldhouse for many years. Ted really enjoyed the KU basketball teams over that time.
Ted was preceded in death by his wife Colleen and his daughter Shauna.
He is survived by his sister, Julie Blandford of Twin Falls, and by four sons and a son-in-law, Tom (Diane) of Caldwell; Pat of Gladstone, Mo., Tim (Tor) of Washington, D.C., Kelly (Becky) of Lawrence and Jardon Bouska (Kelly) of Atlanta, Ga. He is also survived by 14 wonderful grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Services in Lawrence include Mass of Christian Burial which will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 2, at Corpus Christi Catholic Church with burial to follow at Oak Hill Cemetery. A rosary service will be held at 6 tonight, July 1, at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home. The family will receive friends at the funeral home immediately following the rosary service at 6:30 p.m.
Memorials may be made to Corpus Christi Catholic Church, c/o Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home. Online condolences may be sent at www.rumsey-yost.com