Marjorie Helen (Heffernan) Ryan passed away peacefully at the age of 102 on March 2, 2023.
Born April 6, 1920 and raised on Chicago’s South Side, Marjorie (Marge) was the eldest daughter of Michael and Anne (Dohney) Heffernan. She graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in 1938, and married Robert (Bob) Ryan in August, 1945. She worked in war production industries during World War II and into the 1950’s, was a stay-at-home Mom for several years and then continued part-time in the work force in a variety of positions well into the 1970’s.
Marge and Bob initially made their home and raised their sons in Chicago, then, in 1971, moved to Battle Creek, Michigan. Upon her husband’s retirement, they moved to Mountain Home, Arkansas. While in Mountain Home, she was a volunteer at Baxter Regional Medical Center for 35 years, retiring at age 96. After Bob’s death in 2008, she continued living on her own in Mountain Home for a decade. In 2018, at 98, she relocated to Glendale, Arizona to be closer to family.
Predeceased by her loving and long-time husband Bob and sister Eileen, she will be greatly missed by her sons Bob (Robbie) and Jim (Karolyn); her grandchildren Scott (Joalice), Elizabeth, and Daniel; great-grandchildren Jack and Samantha. She also leaves behind many nieces and nephews.
Marge possessed a strong, abiding and resolute Roman Catholic faith. She was very close and exceptionally loyal to her many wonderful friends; she treasured and nurtured her friendships, and these were integral to her life. Marge was a fiercely independent, “low maintenance” woman and a great mother and mother-in-law, asking little from her family but appreciating all they did for and with her. She looked forward, not into the past, and didn’t spend much time talking about yesterday, for she was interested in tomorrow. A keen card player and enthusiastic about fitness, she watched her diet, but hardly ever encountered a sweet she didn’t love.
The family wants to thank the many wonderful acquaintances she met and “family” she developed during her four years at Thunderbird Senior Living in Glendale, AZ. And also the compassionate and caring staff at Pinnacle Peak Assisted Living in Scottsdale, AZ.
Services will be private. Her remains will be reunited with her husband’s at Kirby’s Tucker Memorial Cemetery in Mountain Home, Arkansas at the convenience of the family.
Donations can be made in her memory to the Stonebridge Hospice, 20860 N. Tatum, Suite 450, Phoenix, AZ 85060 or to the charity of one’s choice.
Arrangements are by Kirby and Family Funeral and Cremation Services - Mountain Home, Arkansas. Visit an online obituary and guestbook at
www.kirbyandfamily.com
.