Ryan family remembrances

Paul M. Ryan Senior and Junior 1972

I was going through some papers and found a couple of letters I thought you all might find interesting.  Bill Gleason is our dad's (Paul Ryan Jr.) cousin and he sent a letter shortly after Dad died which included the following memories:  I have been thinking of your Dad, especially, the good times we had when I stayed at Aunt Catherine and Uncle Paul's house for a week each year during my summer vacation in the late 30's and early 40's.  We went to Good Harbor Beach almost every day, boat trips at Gloucester Harbor, and the highlight - a trip to the amusement park at Salisbury beach.  Uncle Paul loaded the back of the pick up truck with kids and off we went for the evening.  We never realized how dangerous it was.   I kind of expect it was dangerous in more than one way, but that's the way it is when you are a kid, right?

From another letter written shortly after Dad died, his cousin Tom Foley noted:  Growing up I didn't get too acquainted with your Dad since he was about 8 years older.  I do remember going to a High School play and I recall him playing the part of "Peter Pan".  I think it was obligatory for the entire Pierce side of the family to go to the school to show our support.  In the big scene, Peter Pan was suspended about 5-6 feet off the floor of the stage and came flying across it on some sort of pulley rig.  I will never know if he got the part becasue he was very good, or if it was because he was the smallest and skinniest guy available.

Our mother's friend Pudge says about Mom (Anne Flynn Ryan):  I have so many fond memories of her and of course your father and you kids.  I met your Mom when we were about 13.  We lived on the same street.  She was kind of diagonal to me.  We didn't go to the same school until Bona's but we  were in the same sorority in High School, so we hung around a bit then.  We really got very close in college, in fact, she's the reason I still drink my coffee black.  We used to take turns buying coffee and I would always put milk and sugar in both cups and it got expensive trying to remember ( we were only making about 50 cents an hour) so I decided not to put anything in the coffee and then I wouldn't go wrong.  

We did a bit of double dating at that time and then there was a time that Weenie was in the hospital and she stayed with us.  There were a lot of laughs and secrets shared.  My mother had your Mom write the invitations for my wedding as she didn't think that my handwriting was good enough.

These little stories meant a lot to me then and they still do today.