John Francis Ryan was born 1936 the oldest of 7 children of Patrick and Mary (Curran) Ryan who emigrated from Ireland to Boston in the 1920’s. Reared in the Forest Hills section of Jamaica Plain, John attended the Catholic public schools of Boston and the Cambridge school of Radiobroadcasting. Not yet 20 he broke into the radio business of Caribou Maine and in 1956 accepted a position at a radio station in Harrisburg PA situated on the banks of the Suque Hanna river making the capital city his home for the remaining 65 years of his life. John later worked for Blue Cross Blue Shield as a social worker for the Comm of PA and briefly as a teacher in the public schools of Harrisburg. He served in the Mass National Guard and was a graduate of Penn State University. A lover of the dramatic arts he was casted in his prime, in various productions at the Harrisburg community theatre. On election day he worked the polls at Harrisburg. In retirement he criss crossed the continent by rail visiting the byways of the country he loved. Broadly read with the eve of a novelist his conversation was adorned with vivid imageries, metaphors, ironies and the lost are of exaggeration. His catholic faith was at the soul of his very being. For years he served as a lector at the Cathedral of St. Patrick in Harrisburg and he has reverently walked in the steps of the crucified Christ in the holy land. On the 7th of April 2022 John reached out to the hand of God. John was preceded in eternal life by his beloved sister Mary and bothers Timothy and Martine. He is survived by his brothers Patrick, James and Dennis Ryan and his nieces Kathleen and Karen. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. John Chrysostom Church, 4750 Washington St. West Roxbury on Saturday June 4 at 10:30am. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Interment will be private