Robert Emmett Ryan, 78, a World War II veteran with a gentle nature and a commitment to providing for his wife and daughters, died of cancer Sunday, June 25, in his daughter’s home in Arlington Heights. “He always put the girls first–my mom and me and my sister,” said his daughter Patricia M.. “He was raised with two sisters, and he said he was always raised with the idea of taking care of the girls.” Mr. Ryan was born in Chicago, graduated from Senn High School and attended Washburne Trade School. In 1942, he married Roberta Williams; she died in 1977. He joined the Army, fought under Gen. George Patton, and was wounded in Germany when a piece of shrapnel sliced through his right forearm. He worked 33 years for the Chicago Transit Authority, mostly as a yard foreman. He was a 25-year resident of Leyden Township. He was a volunteer fire captain with the township fire department. “He had a big heart,” his daughter said. In addition to his daughter, survivors include a son, Robert Phillip; another daughter, Pamela Wright; two sisters, Charlotte Meyer and Geraldine Calvert; 12 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesday in Cuneo-Columbian Funeral Home, 10300 W. Grand Ave., Franklin Park. Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Thursday in St. John Vianney Catholic Church, 46 N. Wolf Rd., Northlake.
