Elmer Laurence Ryan

Elmer Laurence RYAN was born on December 16, 1925, the second son of Laurence and Dina Ryan of Foxwarren, Manitoba.  His siblings were Carman (Shirley Scarth), Beulah (Ivan Cooley) and Myrna (Doug Graham).  Elmer’s grandparents, Frank and Ella Ryan, had come to Canada with their son Laurence from Iowa, via Chicago, in 1911 and moved onto the farm which was eventually passed on to Carman and his family.  When Laurence married Dina (Fraser) in 1920, they moved to the land west of Frank’s farm, where they raised their family. 

Elmer was born on that farm and as he grew up, he raised chickens and sold the eggs to help prepare for his future.  After graduating from Grade 12 at the age of 18, several things happened within a few years.  He “failed” a physical exam so was unable to go to the war in Europe; he bought a quarter-section of land to the north of his dad’s farm and scrubbed and broke it; he won a trip to the Royal Ag Fair in Toronto, where he won first prize for his grain; he bought his first car, in which three friends and he journeyed to the States on holiday; and in the winters of 1947 and 1948, he enrolled in the Agricultural program at the University of Manitoba.  After two years, he graduated with a Diploma in Agriculture and continued farming his new land, while also helping his dad.  Having lived through the Dirty Thirties, he and his dad planted windbreaks around both their farms to stop the topsoil from blowing away.  Later, Elmer began to farm according to the “No Till” method, which greatly enriched the tilth and fostered wonderful crops.  Elmer had many friends and in the early years often went into town to play pool, enjoy ice cream or go to dances after a hard day’s work.   

When he was 26, Elmer got to know a local schoolteacher, Connie Bonner from Birtle.  Their families had both come from Iowa, and when they decided to marry, Elmer spent the year of 1952 building Connie a beautiful house in the same yard as his parents.  They were married on December 6, 1952 and went on to have five daughters:  Meredith (Gaston Lavoie), Shelley, Vicky Lynn (deceased at 9 months), Rebecca (Barry McCarthy), and Maureen (Gordon Loewen).  In 1960, Elmer and Connie moved their family to Alberta, to work for the Alberta Trailer Company (ATCO) and Elmer hauled trailers all over North America.  He loved driving and still enjoyed driving right up to the age of 98!  Maureen was born in Calgary.  In 1965, they moved back to the farm, bought more land and re-entered life in the Foxwarren community. 

Elmer was committed to the Manitoba Pool elevators and was also a voracious reader, subscribing to numerous farm papers and keeping abreast of the Canadian political scene.  In the winter, Elmer enjoyed curling and snowmobiling.  He and Connie loaded their little family on a home-made sleigh to Skidoo with friends around the countryside.  He loved woodworking and carpentry and when the children were young, he built a unique, fold-down trailer in which the family enjoyed many summer camping trips.  

In the mid-70s, he and Connie began attending the Russell Alliance Church, a wonderful journey of many years when his personal faith in Christ rooted and blossomed.  In early retirement, he spent literally hundreds of hours helping to construct the new sanctuary of the Alliance Church.  It was also a great joy to him that in retirement, he and Connie were able to travel abroad:  to Grenada, St. Lucia and Hawaii with friends Jack and Florence Widdicombe; to Europe several times to visit their daughter Shelley; and to Australia and New Zealand for their 50th wedding anniversary.

Despite being very hard of hearing, Elmer’s health carried him right up to the age of 98.  He continued to play pool at the Foxwarren Leisure Centre and to enjoy ice cream!  But in June 2024 he fell and suffered a compression fracture in his back.  Fortunately, he was soon able to go live in the Birtle Personal Care Home, where he could spend time with Connie, who already lived there.  After her sudden death in October 2024, and 72 years of marriage, Elmer lived quietly in the Home, reading newspapers, working on jigsaw puzzles and driving around the countryside with his daughter.  When he could no longer stand on his own, his health deteriorated, and he died peacefully in his sleep just before midnight, on November 11th, 2025, 35 days short of his 100th birthday.  “Well done, good and faithful servant…. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” 

Elmer is survived by his sister Myrna (Doug) Graham and his four daughters and their families:  daughter Meredith (Gaston) Lavoie, grandson Andrew (Roslyn), great-grandsons Kaidence, Raiden, and Keelin, great-granddaughters Danica and Charla; grandson Pascal (Chance); daughter Shelley Ryan; daughter Rebecca (Barry) McCarthy, grandson Ryan, granddaughter Bethany; daughter Maureen (Gord) Loewen, grandson Tyler (Monica), great-granddaughter Leni; grandson Wade (Kalina), great-grandson Nash, great-granddaughter Porter.