Curtiss Nelson Ryan

  Curtiss Nelson Ryan, Dad, Grandad, Great Grandad was born January 30^th, 1932, to Barney Lee and Pearl Hester (Asberry) Ryan, in Barnhart, Texas. He was born 3^rd of four children - older sisters, Hester and Lois, and younger brother, Kenneth Perry, who died as an infant. As a child, he lived in West Texas including Barnhart, Crane, Mertzon, and Odessa, until the age of 20 when he was drafted into the Army. He graduated from Odessa High School in 1950.

  In 1950, he married Peggy Kennedy from Odessa, who died along with Curtiss’s mother in a car crash when hit by a drunk driver in 1952. Curtiss, who was also in the car, recovered and was soon in the Army. He served in Korea as part of the Army Air Corp from 1952 to 1954 repairing helicopters which were just starting to be used during war. In 1953, he married Betty Jo Freeman from Ranger, Texas. Over the years, they would live in San Marcos, Odessa, Dallas, Duncanville, Mansfield, and Weatherford. Along the way, they had three of the best kids ever. He worked as a machinist at H & H Machinery, Taylor Publishing, and retired from Johnson and Johnson after 30 years.

  Curtiss and Betty went square dancing, were members of bowling leagues, and members of the Granbury Antique Car Club. He loved flying, creating and building, restoring old cars, riding motorcycles and trying to find a solution or invention to fix any problem. 

  Curtiss was preceded in death by his father when Curtiss was five years old. Preceding him, also, were his mother and all of his siblings, and, by his wife of 68 years, Betty.

  He leaves behind to try to fix everything without him, his son, Richard and Joci Ryan of Red Oak; daughter, Karen Holmes of Brock; daughter, Janet and David Spector of Denton; grandchildren: Jason Holmes, Julie and Dustin Pavelek, Curtiss and Sarah Ryan, Kristine and Jordan Hanna, Kelly Ryan and Adam Hoeft; great grandchildren: Carson, Emily, Austin, Anna, and Weston.

  Services will be on Saturday, May 4, at 1:00 p.m., at Spring Creek Baptist Church, with his ashes to be buried in Spring Creek Cemetery to follow.