Phillip A. Ryan passed on peacefully in his Santa Barbara home on October 17, 2007, with two of his sons by his side. He was born in Chrisney, Indiana, on December 30, 1920, the oldest of three sons of Roy and Carrie Emma Ryan. Phillip graduated from Bosse High School [1937?] of Evansville; then attended Purdue University where he studied engineering and participated in a civilian flight training program, earning his pilot's license in a Piper J-3 Cub. During semester break and one day after turning 21, he joined the Army Air Force and became a bomber pilot assigned to the 321st air group. During 1943, he piloted 52 B-25 missions over the Mediterranean region during which time he earned the reputation of a "preferred pilot" for always returning his crew home. He continued his interest in flying as an accomplished private pilot into retirement.
Following the war, he joined his father in the family construction company, which was awarded many civil engineering projects in the Midwest. In 1954, he moved his family to Santa Barbara, California, and started his own company. His first of many offshore projects was a 3-year dredging contract for the city of Santa Barbara. Ryan Contracting specialized in building piers for loading tankers and underwater pipelines, completing projects from San Diego to Alaska. In a short time he developed a reputation for completing jobs on time in difficult circumstances and his company was in demand by many of the oil companies. Phillip sold his firm to Fluor Corporation in 1969. He enjoyed the waterfront beyond work and learned to sail for recreation.
When his children were young, Phillip was active in their activities, volunteering as a Sunday School teacher at the United Methodist Church and as a Boy Scout leader for Troop 4, both in Santa Barbara. He took the family to Alaska by car in the summer of 1959, the year it became a state. Later in his life, he was an avid cyclist and participated in many bicycle tours in Europe well into his 80s.
He is survived by his brothers Roy Ryan of Washington, D.C., and George Ryan of Evansville; and by six of his nine children, Ned Ryan of Los Banos, Calif., John Ryan of Santa Barbara, Calif., Robert Ryan of San Luis Obispo, Calif., Michael (Mike) Lowe Ryan of Scottsdale, Ariz., Martha Wooden of Marietta, Ga., Paul Ryan of Coronado, Calif., and his first wife, Maxine (Lowe) Ryan of Evansville.
He was preceded in death by three children, Peter Ryan, Frances R. (Ryan) Kovacs [43, 4/29/88, Bosse HS 1962], and Phillip A. Ryan Jr. [59, Thursday, September 14, 2006, Harrison HS 1968, wife Margaret, sons Phillip Andrew and Matthew Allen, mother Maxine (Lowe) Ryan], and by his wife of 21 years, Norma (Mittry) Ryan and Elmise Ryan, later his wife of 30 years. He was also blessed with many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The family held a memorial service on Saturday, November 10, at the First United Methodist Church of Santa Barbara, Calif. The family expresses deepest thanks to Hospice and all of his caregivers for their thoughtful and sensitive help during his last weeks. Donations may be made to Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care of Santa Barbara or to the First United Methodist Church of Santa Barbara.
