Robert William Ryan

Robert W. (Bob) Ryan, 75, of Dallas, TX passed away Saturday, May 3rd, from complications of diabetes and heart disease. Born August 5, 1938 in Indianapolis, IN to Glen V. Ryan, M.D. and Virginia Wilson Ryan. Bob attended DePauw University in Greencastle, IN, where he met Martha Jo (Marti) McMahan on her first day of college. He instantly knew she was the girl he would marry, and two years later, they married on Easter Sunday. Bob graduated DePauw with a BA in Mathematics, and later taught Probability and Statistics while earning a Masters in Mathematics from the University of Michigan, where he was valedictorian.

The next 55 years produced three children and nine grandchildren. He was respectful and respected, He was the epitome of gentility, ethics and integrity. He had an infectious smile and translucent blue eyes that twinkled when paired with his easy sense of humor. He was a great teacher because he was such a great student. He didn’t just seek knowledge – he wanted to understand. He was a golfer, a fly fisher, a bowler, and he loved art, photography and music.

His career began in 1961 as the Reinsurance Actuary for American United. In 1969, after 8 years of exams, he was admitted as one of only 1883 Fellows in the Society of Actuaries. Concurrently, he joined the first computer revolution and partnered to form International Systems and Computer Corporation (ISSCO), which managed and analyzed insurance data on time-shared computers. Thereafter, he served as Vice President of Alexander Hamilton Life and then as President of Peninsular Life before becoming a pension and benefits consultant. In the next thirty-five years, he opened the actuarial consulting practice for Alexander & Alexander in Dallas, served as office manager for the Dallas offices of Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt, and Vice President of Aon in Chicago.

He was a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries; Fellow of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries; Member of the American Academy of Actuaries; Southwest Benefits Association; Mayoral Appointment as the first actuary on the City of Dallas Pension Board of Trustees; Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International; National Kidney Foundation Board Member; United Way of Dallas Board Member, and Finance Committee of Transfiguration Episcopal Church.

Bob is survived by his wife, Marti, his daughter Debbie and her husband, Louis Kuntz ; his daughter Katie Blakeley, his son Scott Ryan and his wife Tracy, his grandchildren Courtney, Kevin and Brynne Kuntz; Ryan, Chase, Chris and Cole Blakeley; and Mitchell and Sarah Virginia Ryan; brother, Joseph Ryan of Portland, OR; his sister-in-law Susan Whitehouse of Lexington, KY, and 12 nieces and nephews. His parents and brother, David Ryan, predeceased him.

Visitation will be Friday evening from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home on Northwest Highway. Services commemorating Bob’s life will be held on Saturday, May 10 at 2:00pm at Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home, 7405 W Northwest Hwy, Dallas, TX 75225. Reception to follow the funeral service at Bent Tree Country Club, 5201 Westgrove Drive, Dallas, TX 75248.

The family kindly requests donations in memoriam to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.