Edward is survived by his wife, Mary Esther Ryan; son, John Ryan; daughter-in-law, Diana Ryan; daughter, Jill Adler; son-in-law, Michael Adler; sister, Nancy Lee Ryan; granddaughter, Kaitlin Ryan; and grandson, Grayson Adler.
Edward was preceded in death by his father, John Joseph Ryan; mother, Genevieve Agnes Ryan; and sister, Jane Ann Ryan.
A vigil for Edward will be held Monday, July 16, 2018, at 4:00PM. A rosary service will occur Monday, July 16, 2018, at 7:00PM. A funeral mass will occur Tuesday, July 17, 2018, at 10:00AM at St. Jude Catholic Church. A committal service will occur Tuesday, July 17, 2018, at 11:30AM at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.piercebrothersvalleyoaks.com for the Ryan family.
Edward attended St. Francis Xavier elementary school in Cresson, PA and Altoona Catholic High School in Altoona, PA. He received a scholarship to St Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. Edward then attended Syracuse University in New York on a fellowship where he earned a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering.
Immediately after graduate school, Edward married Mary Esther and joined Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, CA in 1960. There he designed one of the first operationally stable F-1 injectors and perfected the method for cooling the F-1 nozzle extension. Edward then worked as a manager at the Union Oil Company in Los Angeles, where he designed and implemented several algorithms for optimizing the company’s operations.
In the late ‘70’s Edward was invited back to Rocketdyne to work on the Space Shuttle Main Engines. He joined the Engine Systems Group which was responsible for specifying the operation and the successful firing of the main engine controller at every launch of the Space Shuttle missions.
Edward retired from Rocketdyne in 2004.
