Robert E. Ryan

Moline, Illinois Robert E. Ryan, 88, of Moline, died Monday, July 7, 2003, in his home. Services are 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Faith Lutheran Church, Moline, with The Reverend Dr. Mark E. Gehrke officiating. Burial is in Moline Memorial Park, where Moline American Legion Post #246 will present Military Honors. Visitation is 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Trimble Funeral Home, Moline. Memorials may be made to the church or Genesis Hospice. Robert Edwin Ryan was born May 30, 1915, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the son of Earl Victor and Bessie Barber Ryan. He graduated from Lansdown, Pennsylvania, High School in June, 1933, and graduated from Drexel Institute of Technology, Philadelphia, in June, 1942, with a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was elected to Pi Tau Sigma and Tau Beta Pi, honorary engineering fraternities. Bob was commissioned in the United States Naval Reserve in 1941, and resigned his commission as Lieutenant in 1954. He served in the Boston Navy Yard and at "Lion 4" Repair Base, Manus Island, Admiralty Group, until March, 1946. He was employed by the General Electric Company as a Field Engineer in Chicago and Davenport from December, 1946, until his retirement in June, 1975. He married Ilse Margarete Boettcher of Rendsburg, Germany, on April 2, 1960, in Moline. He was a member of Faith Lutheran Church, Moline, where he served on the Church Council and was Financial Secretary for several years. He was an avid reader and tennis player, and enjoyed his family, especially his grandchildren. Bob is survived by his wife, Ilse; a daughter, Heidi Ryan Hormann of Mount Vernon, Iowa; and two grandchildren, Elizabeth Ryan Klaus and Benjamin Robert Merten Klaus, both of Mount Vernon. Remembrances and condolences may be shared with the family at www.TrimbleFuneralHomes.com. END OF OBITUARY