Marguerite L. Ryan, 95, of Havertown, PA and Ocean City, NJ.,; formerly of Rosemont and Haverford, PA., died peacefully at the home of her son Joseph A. and daughter-in-law Nancy on December 7, 2012.

Born in 1917 to Charles and Kathryn Kimnach, she grew up in West Philadelphia and Ardmore. She graduated from West Catholic High School for Girls and Rosemont College, where she received a degree in Biology in 1939. After graduation, she earned a certificate in Medical Technology from Hahnemann Hospital. She worked for several years in that field, always looking for new challenges.

In the summer of 1945, she met her husband, Joseph A. Ryan, Sr. when she visited Atlantic City Hospital where returning soldiers were being treated. Mr. Ryan had been severely injured in combat in France. Despite his wounds, and her engagement to another, he swept her off her feet and they married only months later in December 1945. They raised their seven children in Haverford, in a house built by Mr. Ryan, who was a general contractor and later manager of the Dorchester and the Savoy, both on Rittenhouse Square. Mr. Ryan died in 1984.

Mrs. Ryan faced many challenges connected with the health of her husband and her sixth child, Rosemary. She met those challenges with faith, grace and courage.

After Rosemary's death in 1971, Mrs. Ryan became a loyal volunteer, always focused on the most underserved. She worked for years with the Diocesan Office of Naturalization, where she formed friendship with Asian immigrant families. She participated in the Reading to the Blind program and spent hours in soup kitchens and homeless shelters. She was thrilled to meet Mother Theresa on her visit to the United States. She continued her efforts well into her 90's, including teaching English as a second language.

She received her master's degree in Library Science from Drexel University in 1980. Her interest in that field stemmed from her work with CAK Services, a foundation set up by Mrs. Ryan and her sisters Kitty Joyce and Ann Doley. Together, they focused their efforts on several Catholic School libraries in West Philadelphia, purchasing books for the libraries as well as donating their time and energies to staffing them. Mrs. Ryan also enjoyed her employment at the libraries of Villanova University and St John Neumann Parish School.

A spirit of adventure defined Mrs. Ryan's life. She loved telling stories about her exploits before she was married, including a visit to Cuba and many airplane trips in a single engine plane piloted by a friend who was a member of the WASPS. In her later years, she continued to travel and refused to be limited by her age or what others thought appropriate. She travelled to Paris; Germany and East Berlin before the fall of communism; and to Northern Ireland, when the "troubles" were still in the forefront. In her 80's she drove cross country and back in a car with no radio and no air conditioning in August and went fly fishing in Oregon. Until the last year, she continued to travel to California, Georgia and Maryland where daughters lived. She made every trip an adventure, even if the trip was to a restaurant. She never stepped off an airplane or a train without having made a new friend.


Mrs. Ryan was a life time learner and voracious reader. She frequented museums and loved live performances. She was an inspiration to her children and grandchildren in their educational and professional pursuits. Her engagement in all their lives was deep and fierce. Despite increasing frailty, she attended a granddaughter's wedding this past August with great joy. Her belief in the power of prayer provided comfort to those closest to her.

Surviving in addition to her son Joseph Ryan (Nancy) and sisters, Kitty Joyce and Ann Doley, are her devoted daughters: Christine R. Viola, Mary Ann Norbom, Marguerite L. Ryan, Kathleen R. Prebble and Frances V. Ryan (Richard W. Foltz). Mrs. Ryan was grandmother to Rob and Marguerite Viola; Billy, Joe, Michael and Kyle Prebble; Tony, Victoria, Lindy and Charlie Foltz; and Patrick and J.R. Ryan. She was the great grandmother of Petra and Nico Viola and William and Cayden Prebble.

A Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday December 11, 11 AM at Our Mother of Good Counsel Church, 31 Pennswood Rd., Bryn Mawr, PA. Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery. Relatives and friends are invited to a Visitation Monday from 7 to 9 PM at McConaghy Funeral Home, 328 W. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore, PA.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Project H.O.M.E., Development Dept., 1515 Fairmount Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19130 or to Interfaith Hospitality Network, 1449 DeKalb St., Norristown, PA 19401.