Joan Ryan, 92, a longtime resident of Oak Park, died peacefully on Oct. 25, 2025. Joan loved Oak Park and the many opportunities it provided their family. She graduated from Loyola University of Chicago with a degree in nursing, working and teaching in many Chicago area hospitals, eventually becoming the director of the Infant Welfare Clinic in Oak Park. She was an active member of Ascension and St. Giles parishes and a docent at the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio for over 35 years. She loved playing tennis, cooking, traveling, reading, and attending the Chicago Symphony, Lyric Opera, and Goodman Theater. She encouraged her children to explore their interests, attending more baseball, hockey, and volleyball games than can be counted, as well as hundreds of recitals, concerts, and plays.
Joan is remembered by her sister, Barbara (Tony Schmeltz); her son, David (Theresa) and their children, Joe (Courtney), Courtney, John, and Maeve Ryan and great-grandsons Jack and Weston; her daughter, Sara (Malcolm Warner) and their children, Madeline and Charlie; her daughter, Patricia (Brian Faut) and their children, Conor, Gillian and Ryan; and her daughter, Molly (Peter Quinn) and their children, Natalie and Benjamin.
She was pre-deceased by her loving husband, John (Jack) Ryan, and her granddaughter, Isabel Warner.