Marguerite Phillips Ryan's Obituary
Marguerite Phillips Ryan 1933-2009 died Friday morning in a Richardson hospital after battling renal cell cancer. She was born October 10, 1933, in Twin Falls, Idaho, to Elmer and Elva Phillips, their only child. Marguerite attended Bickel School, and graduated from Twin Falls High School in 1951. She attended Idaho State University and graduated with a journalism degree in 1955, going to work for a Twin Falls radio station. She married William J. Ryan on Dec. 28, 1955, in Twin Falls and they left immediately for Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was attending graduate school at Marquette University. They moved to Bountiful, Utah, in 1958, and to Pocatello, Idaho, in 1960. She was active with her college sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi. Marguerite joined the Pocatello School District in 1971 as public relations officer and retained that position until 1977, when she moved to Texas with her husband and family. In the Dallas area, she was a lecturer for Weight Watchers, worked in the Richland College library, and was a sales associate for Nordstrom for some time. Renal cell cancer struck her in 1990, a kidney was removed, and she was cancer-free until 2005, when it returned. She fought bravely until the last days of January, 2009, when it got the best of her. Surviving are her husband, Bill Ryan of Richardson; sons John of Garland, Jim and his wife Beth and children, Rebecca and James of Arlington; son Dana of San Francisco and William J. and Gloria of Boise, Idaho. Memorial Service will be held at 12:30 P.M., Monday, February 2, 2009 at Restland Wildwood Chapel. She leaves behind many friends and family in Idaho and Texas who will miss her greatly. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to American Cancer Society 8900 John W. Carpenter Fwy., Dallas, TX 75247.
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