Raymond “Ray-man” F. Ryan longtime resident of S. Chelmsford formerly of Dracut

Raymond “Ray-man” F. Ryan, 87, a longtime resident of S. Chelmsford, MA formerly of Dracut, died Sunday November 1, 2015 at Lowell General Hospital.

He was married to the late Carol (Taglieri) Ryan, who died February 5, 1995.

Born in Lowell, he was the son of the late Francis and Ida (Gauvin) Ryan. He attended Lowell High School and one year of business college.

A member of the “Greatest Generation”, he proudly served with the U.S. Army during WWII.

Ray retired in 1994 from Textron Credit Union of Wilmington, MA, previously known as AVCO Credit Union, where he worked as a manager for forty years.

He was a member of the Tewksbury Elks for many years.

Ray found much joy and relaxation in gardening. He enjoyed golfing and tennis.  He belonged to various tennis leagues in the area.  Dancing was an important part of Ray’s life, in his early years he enjoyed ballroom dancing and dancing to Latin music in his later years.

He loved “Girls Night Out” with his coworkers at AVCO. One of his greatest joys was going to see his two sons’ band “The Times” He was their biggest fan.

Halloween was Ray’s favorite holiday because you could be anybody you want to be without any stress attached to the holiday.  Ray always had a smile for everyone he met.

Ray was a longtime resident of S. Chelmsford and a winter resident of DelRay, FL.

He is survived by his longtime companion, Joan Kaknes of Chelmsford; children, David and his wife, Cathy Ryan of Dracut,  Carolyn Rae Ryan and her husband, Marc Welch of Tyngsboro, Daniel and his wife, Donna Ryan of Lowell and Bethany Sulecki of Merrimack, NH; brother, George and his wife, Maureen Ryan of Chelmsford; sister-in-law, Mary Ryan of Lowell; six grandchildren, Scott, Jason, and Jeffrey Ryan, Lisa Mambro, Kristine Galasso, and Heather Reese; twelve great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

He was the brother of the late Francis Ryan of Lowell, who died in April 2012.

Visiting hours Thurs. 4 to 8 P.M. Funeral Fri. at 10A.M. from the DOLAN FUNERAL HOME 106 MIDDLESEX ST. CHELMSFORD, with a funeral Mass at 11A.M. at St. John the Evangelist Church in Chelmsford. Private burial at the convenience of the family at Heart Pond Cemetery, Chelmsford. Memorials may be made in his name to the Lowell Humane Society, 951 Broadway St., Lowell, MA 01854. ARRANGEMENTS BY DOLAN FUNERAL HOME 978-251-4041.