Mary Burke Ryan Obituary
Mary Burke Ryan passed away peacefully on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at home surrounded by her family. Mary was born in Milwaukee to James Lawrence and Margaret Burke (nee Howie) on November 13, 1954. She went to Holy Cross School and Pius XI High School. She worked for many years in the hospital industry. She was most proud of her efforts at Mount Sainai Medical Center in bringing computer management into their inventory control, reducing their inventory and increasing their efficiency. After a hospital merger, she returned to college (Marquette University) where she received her BSN in 1993. It was at Marquette University where she met her husband, Michael, and expanded her family to four children, Denis (Paula) Ryan, Thomas (Tricia) Ryan, Margaret Ryan (Andrew) Kopplin and Caitlin Ryan. Later she became grandmother to eight grandchildren that she loved dearly: Aidan, Liam, Piper, Finn and Trixie Ryan; Ryan, Conor and Quinn Kopplin. In addition to the people above, she is survived by her husband, Michael, brother: Timothy, Kevin, Robert, William and Daniel Burke and a sister, Ann Marie Grounds. She was preceded in death by her brother Patrick and her parents.
After receiving her BSN, she worked at the Jewish Home in Milwaukee where she used her love of singing, which was a big part of her life, to provide comfort to the residents. She was a member of the St. Joseph Choir in Paris in 1995-96 and continued as a choir member at St. Cecilia's Parish in Thiensville. The highlight of her time in the choir was a trip to Italy during the Jubilee Year and singing at St. Peter's in Vatican City. She was also a board member of COPE Services in Ozaukee County to help people who found themselves in stressful situations. Friends and acquaintances have always commented on her ability to comfort and empathize with them, especially during difficult times. She loved to travel and share her stories and pictures with her many friends. They will certainly miss the chance to live vicariously through her many travels. Her favorite location was Paris where she and her husband had an apartment for many years, and which was the starting off point for many of her travels. Her favorite cruises were the Christmas market cruises on the Rhine where she enjoyed the novelties and food of these markets. Her travels included cruises to Antarctica and then to the top of Norway, the northernmost point of continental Europe. When she was in Paris, she loved hosting friends and families, giving them an insider's tour of many places there that most tourists don't see. She was an active member for many years of the American Women's Group there, including staying in touch with them during Covid via Zoon meetings. In addition to traveling, she attended as many as possible of her children's/grandchildren's soccer, T-ball, Little League, hockey, swim and dance events. She loved adventure including zip lining in Belize or paragliding in Interlaken. She was most proud of her Christmas cookies, whose recipes she learned from her grandparents, and passed them on to her children. Due to her illness, this was the first year since her youth that she didn't bake cookies.
Visitation will be at Schmidt and Bartelt Funeral Home in Mequon on Sunday, December 15th from 4 pm until the time of a prayer service at 7 pm. Additional visitation will be from 10 am until the time of eulogy at 10:45 am at Lumen Christi Catholic Church in Mequon, followed by a funeral mass at 11 am on Monday, December 16th.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in honor of Mary would be appreciated to the Marquette University Nursing Program or the American Diabetes Association.
