William Halsell Ryan Jr.

Published 7:19 pm Friday, September 11, 2015

Bill Ryan passed away peacefully at his home on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 10, 2015.

Bill was born on Aug. 18, 1921, in Prichard, the son of William Halsell Ryan, a pharmacist, of Cuba and Edith Tucker Ryan, a loving wife, mother and homemaker, of Thomasville.

A year later, the family moved to Greenville where Mr. Ryan Sr., established Ryan Drug Company.
On Nov. 21, 1927, James Joseph Ryan became the fourth member of the family.

Email newsletter signup

Bill graduated from Greenville High School in May 1939 and enrolled in pharmacy school at Alabama Polytechnic Institute, now Auburn University, in September 1939.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Naval Reserve Midshipman’s School program. After graduating from API in August 1943, Bill began officer training at the University of Notre Dame in September where he received his commission in January 1944.

Bill was assigned to the USS Feland, a troop transport ship which was a component of the Pacific Fleet.

Among his duties, he served as the officer in charge of an LCVP landing crew for beach assaults. During the next 20 months, Bill participated in landings at Leyte and Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines and later in the landings at Iwo Jima.
Following the conclusion of the war, Bill remained on active duty until January 1946 when he received his honorable discharge.

Upon returning to Greenville in 1946, Bill joined his father at Ryan Drug Company where he worked as a pharmacist for 35 years.

On Sept. 26, 1946, he and Olga Lee of Selma were married in her parents’ home.

They raised three sons and a daughter, were active participants in the Greenville and later Selma communities and enjoyed 68 years of marriage until her death in December 2014.

Bill was a member of several civic and professional organizations including the Rotary Club and Boy Scouts of America and was a founding member of Woodland Heights Methodist Church.

Bill is survived by his sons William Halsell (Janice) Ryan III, M.D., Allen Lee Ryan and Edward Tabb (Katrina) Ryan; his daughter, Lee Ryan (John) Donald; eight grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Services will be held at Woodland Heights Methodist Church at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015, in Greenville with the Rev. Joe Lisenby officiating and Lawrence Brown-Service Funeral Home directing. Interment will follow in Magnolia Cemetery.

The family will receive friends at the church beginning at 1 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Woodland Heights, World War II Memorial Fund or to a church or charity organization of your choice.