JOHN RYAN

1927 - 2022

RYAN--John J., III, entrepreneur, dies on January 1, 2022, at the age of 94. The Ryans' were originally from Tipperary, Ireland, and immigrated to Troy, New York, in the 1870s, and within a generation established a JJ Ryan & Sons, a textile business. The Ryans' were involved in many other businesses, including the World Commerce Corporation created after WWII, and were partners in Bache & Co. John was born in Greenville, South Carolina, on July 14, 1927, to John J. Ryan, Jr., and Marion Merritt Lee, the daughter of James T. Lee, a prominent New York banker and real estate developer. He had three siblings, Joan Gaylord, Mimi Cecil and James Ryan. He grew up in Hewlett, Long Island, and attended Phillips Academy in Andover, graduating in 1945. He earned his wings with the US Navy as WWII ended. After the war, he attended the University of Virginia, and the University of Lausanne. John started his career with the family textile business in Greenville, South Carolina, and moved to Cuba in 1955, where he worked for his father-in-law, the Cuban sugar magnate Julio Lobo. Following the Cuban revolution of 1959, he left for Lima, Peru, where he worked in the Ryan family's iron-ore business, and also established a commercial fishing company in Peru with a number of partners. The agrarian reform of Velasco Alvarado in 1969 brought to an end the Ryan businesses in Peru. Thereafter, in 1971, he settled in Geneva, Switzerland, where he lived for many years and was involved with several business ventures, from financial services to energy. He liked to say that he survived two revolutions and had to start life all over again from scratch twice. He also liked to say that anyone could achieve anything with a bit of hard work and self-confidence. He was married three times, had six children and eight grandchildren. His first wife was Maria Luisa Lobo Montalvo, of Havana, Cuba, deceased, with whom he had four children, Victoria, John, Carolina and Alin. His second wife was Florence Canonne, of Geneva, Switzerland, with whom he had two daughters, Marion and Vanessa. His third wife was Jacqueline de Sibour, of Paris, France, to whom he was married at the time of his death. A funeral service will be held at the Most Holy Trinity Parish, 79 Buell Lane, East Hampton, New York, on May 28, 2022 at 11:00am.