CRYAN, Peter J. Of South Dartmouth, died at Massachusetts General Hospital on August 4 from complications of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Born in Lowell on June 2, 1944, he graduated from Lowell High School, and received a B.S. from Boston College and an MBA from Suffolk University. After BC, he joined the Peace Corps for two years working with fishing cooperatives and credit unions in Puerto Montt, Chile. He and a friend then spent six months traveling from Chile to Boston by bus, boat, prop plane and motorcycle, with many adventures along the way.
Peter joined the U.S. Army in 1968 and was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant after training at Fort Benning, Georgia. After a year at Fort McClellan, Alabama, he served in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division, earning a Bronze Star. He was discharged with the rank of Captain. Peter's early career was in healthcare administration at Children's Hospital Boston. During that time, he and his wife Teresa raised their family in Melrose. They later moved to Sudbury where they founded and co-led a small business, Cryan Associates, managing professional associations. In retirement, after moving to South Dartmouth, Peter continued to do consulting work as a trade show manager.
Peter was a longtime member of the Sudbury chapter of Rotary International and a Paul Harris Fellow. He coached innumerable youth sports teams when his sons were young and co-led several church mission trips to Honduras. In Dartmouth he volunteered with Mobile Ministries, a nonprofit organization supporting the underserved and homeless of New Bedford, and was valued for his Spanish language fluency. He was a proud member of the Padanaram Wharf Rats, a local men's group. Peter was an enthusiast of cribbage and all other card games, of superior-to-the-point-of-perfection grilling, and of making everyone he interacted with smile and laugh as often and as honestly as possible.
He is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 52 years, Teresa (Vercollone) Cryan; son Stephen and wife Sarah Blagden of Oxford, UK; son Phillip and wife Loyola Colebeck of St. Paul, Minnesota; grandchildren Brodie, Patrick, Flora and Lily; brother David Cryan and wife Lucille of Cromwell, Connecticut; and countless other family members and friends who loved him – nearly all of whom genuinely believe themselves to be "his favorite." Peter was preceded in death by his parents, Arthur Cryan and Eileen (Bagshaw) Cryan; brother Arthur Cryan and wife Donna; and sister Jean Stockton and husband Walter.
A Celebration of Peter's Life will be held Wednesday, August 11, 11:00am at the Congregational Church of South Dartmouth. All are invited; the service will be outside, please wear a mask and colorful attire. Funeral arrangements by Wilson Chapel. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his name may be made to Mobile Ministries. Checks should be made out to Congregational Church of South Dartmouth with "Mobile Ministries" noted and mailed to: Congregational Church of South Dartmouth, 17 Middle St., Dartmouth, MA 02748.