John B. Ryan, of Bay Minette, was born June 8, 1943, and died at home on Sept. 24, 2012. He was born in Jacksonville, Ala., and has resided in Bay Minette for 40 years.
He is survived by his wife, Peggy Owen Ryan of Bay Minette; sons, Chad Z. Ryan (Joanne) of Cumming, Ga., Kevin S. Ryan of Pensacola, Fla., Robert A. Jones (Trish) of Buford, Ga., and Benjamin M. Jones (Alvita) of Gulf Shores; daughter Meg Ryan Diedtrich (Jeff) of Woodstock, Ga., and sister Margaret Ellen Clayton of Port St. Joe, Fla. He is also survived by eight grandchildren. John loved education and received a B.S. from Florida State University, M.E. from Florida Atlantic University and M.A. from Auburn University. He had a long career in education teaching history in Florida public schools, at Jeff State in Birmingham and 25 years at Faulkner State in Bay Minette. He was also a published author with an article appearing in the Journal of the West. His primary interests included spending time with his family, gardening, travelling, boating and fishing. He was a college football lover and divided his loyalties between Auburn and Florida State. He loved history, trivia and engineering elaborate home projects. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 1 p.m. until the 2 p.m. Memorial Service at the First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Tim Ferrell officiating. Memorial donations may be made to American Diabetes Association (donations.diabetes.org) or by mail P.O. Box 11454, Alexandria, VA 22312, or to Community Hospice, 311 D’Olive Street, Bay Minette, AL 36507. Arrangements are by Norris Funeral Home, Bay Minette. To post online condolences, visit www.norrisfuneralservice.com.
