Daniel Paul Ryan

Daniel Paul Ryan

Daniel Paul Ryan of Big Lake, Alaska passed away on the afternoon of December 6, 2021. He’d been battling a number of health issues for the past few months and finally passed away peacefully at his home in Big Lake.

Dan was born in Grandview, Missouri and spent his childhood in southern Missouri. After graduating from high school in 1960, he attended one semester of college at Evangel College in Springfield, Missouri. He soon found that he could make a good living in construction and worked with a friend from church and his brother Jack learning the Drywall trade. In the spring 1961, he moved in with his brother in Mobile, Alabama. That is where he met the love of his life, and on July 31, 1963 married Carolyn Louree Weaver. For their honeymoon, they moved to Colorado where they started a family. On their first anniversary they welcomed the first of 3 children, Todd. In 1967 they welcomed their second child Jason, and in May of 1970, a daughter, Danah. In February of 1972, they were off on another grand adventure to Alaska. After spending 18 months in Anchorage, the family moved to Wasilla in the fall of 1974. Wasilla would be Dan’s home till Carol passed away in 2016. He then moved to Big Lake and quickly fell in love with his new community. His only complaint about moving to Big Lake was that he’d had the same phone number since 1974 and now he had to get an 892 phone number.

Those that knew him already know that he had three passions in life: Jesus, Family & Music. Dan was a strong Christian and tried to share his love of the Lord through his music. He was a talented guitar picker and loved nothing more than playing in church or getting together with his musician friends and just playing hymns. He always said, “The old-time hymns are a sermon in song”.

Dan is preceded in death by his father Milton Gilford Ryan, mother Fay Hindricks Ryan, his siblings Madeline Fay Cantwell, Milton Gilford Ryan Jr (aka Jack), and Rebbecca Ruth Vandiver, his wife Carolyn Louree Ryan and children Danah Day Ryan and Daniel Todd Ryan.

He is survived by his son Jason, daughter-in-law Liane Ryan and their children Taylor Barton and Walker Ryan.

A memorial service will be held on December 27, 2021, at Faith Bible Fellowship in Big Lake, Alaska at 4:00 PM.