SOUTHPORT — Thomas Joseph “Tom” Ryan, 70, formerly of Darien, Connecticut, died Friday, Jan. 17, 2020, at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington. Tom was born in New York City Jan. 29, 1949. He was the first child of Thomas J. Ryan and Alice Mahoney Ryan, then living in Brooklyn, New York.
Tom attended grade school and high school in Norwalk, Connecticut. He graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1966 and Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1970. Tom received a J.D. Degree from Saint John’s Law School in New York City in 1973.
Tom was enrolled in the U.S. Army ROTC program in college and served as a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Tom married his wife Nora in 1980, and they shared 39 wonderful years together. As a couple, they enjoyed entertaining friends, gardening and their trips to Europe.
Tom enjoyed his career as an attorney and served a diverse group of clients who benefitted from his legal expertise and deep concern for their welfare.
He was a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees, the New York Giants and the Providence College basketball team. Tom loved the game of golf. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of sports history. He possessed a very funny, dry sense of humor. He loved to tell jokes and stories. His friends would often ask that he tell their favorite stories and jokes.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas and Alice Ryan. He is survived by his brother, Dan Ryan, and Dan’s spouse, Michael Riemke, of South Bend, Indiana; sister, Anne Maloney, and her husband, Dr. John Maloney, of Roswell, Geogia; sister, Jane Ryan, and her husband, Jim Ryan, of Dallas, Texas; stepdaughters, Carol Theurer of Porstmouth, New Hampshire, and Cindy Steckler of Stamford, Connecticut; granddaughter, Dr. Leah Steckler, and her husband, Ben Kochman, of Washington, D.C.; and granddaughter, Kate Theurer Dahl, and her husband, Steve Dahl, of Barrie, Ontario, Canada; as well as several nieces and nephews.
Tom and Nora became permanent residents of Southport in 2015. They both enjoyed meeting new people and are especially grateful for the help of their neighbors during Tom’s illness.
A celebration of his life will be held at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 22, at Peacock-Newnam & White Funeral and Cremation Service, Southport. Another service will be held in Connecticut at a later date.
Share online condolences with the family at Peacock-Newnam & White Funeral and Cremation Service.
