Mary "Jean" Ryan

SKANEATELES | Mary Jean (Jean) Hogan Ryan of Skaneateles and Sarasota, Fla., passed away peacefully on June 11, 2015, after a short illness.

Jean was born in 1925 in Hudson Falls, to the late John and Catherine Cruickshank Hogan. She was raised on the family dairy farm with her 12 siblings, where they learned the value of family, hard work, and a belief in God. Jean attended Albany Business School, following which she was employed as the Executive Director of the Warren County Chapter of the American Red Cross. Jean was a great athlete and enjoyed playing golf and skiing in her spare time. In 1954, Jean moved to Auburn and assumed the position of Emergency Services director of the Cayuga County Chapter of the American Red Cross. In Auburn, Jean met her husband Charles B. Ryan, M.D. They were married in November of 1955 and remained so until his death in 2001. Following her marriage, Jean devoted herself to raising and caring for her family. She was the ultimate advocate for her children and grandchildren. Jean enjoyed spending time with her children and grandchildren, both on Skaneateles Lake and at her winter home in Florida. Jean was a longtime member of the Skaneateles Country Club where she was actively involved with the children's golf program. She served on the board of the Auburn Memorial Hospital and Cayuga County Chapter of the American Red Cross. She was a parishioner of Sacred Heart Church in Owasco and relied heavily on her faith to guide her through many difficult times in her life. Jean was a 23-year survivor of Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and was grateful for the time she was afforded after her cure.

Jean was predeceased by her husband, Charles B. Ryan, M.D. and her siblings Judith, Dalton, John, Maxwell, Francis, Christian Agnes McCaffrey, Richard, Leonard and Catherine Delaney.

She is survived by her children, Charles (Eileen), of Skaneateles, Richard (Shirley), of Anchorage, AK, John, of Skaneateles, William (Janel), of Anchorage, AK, Gregory, of Moravia, and Martha, of Skaneateles; 17 grandchildren, one great-grandson; and her brothers, James, Roger, and Robert.

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Monday, June 15, at 11 a.m. in Sacred Heart Church, 90 Melrose Road, Auburn. Burial will follow at Saint Mary's of the Lake Cemetery, Jordan Road, Skaneateles.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Leukemia And Lymphoma Society, 4043 Maple Road, Suite 105, Amherst, NY 14226.

To send condolences visit robertdgrayfuneralhome.com