Ardythe Victoria Ryan

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Ardythe Victoria Ryan of Pine City, passed away on Friday, January 15, 2021 at the age of 92.

Ardythe was born on December 18, 1928 in Plentywood, Montana, the first of two children born to Victor and Mabel (Anderson) Swanson. When Ardythe was very young, her parents moved from her mother’s family home in Montana, to Dassel, Minnesota where her father’s family lived. After the death of her mother when Ardythe was six years old, she gained nine more half siblings.

Ardythe spent most of her school years at Dassel, Minnesota. As a senior in high school the family moved to Hutchinson where Ardythe graduated in 1946.  While a senior, she met James “Jim” Ryan and fell in love.  They married on November 17, 1946.  Ardythe and Jim had seven children. In their early years they moved several times to various small towns in Minnesota and always made new friends along the way. Ardythe held many different jobs. She drove trucks for her father’s trucking business, worked at a beet plant hauling sugar beets, and at Telex, she built hearing aids.

When the family moved to Litchfield, Ardythe and Jim operated a Truck Stop.  Ardythe worked a short time at 3M in Hutchinson and then, after moving to Pine City, she held many more positions in various job markets.  She was a Stanley Home Products dealer, a Realtor, a school bus driver, an accountant, and also an over the road semi-truck driver.

After Jim’s retirement, Ardythe and Jim traveled to all the lower 48 states.  In 2019, Ardythe was able to go to Hawaii. In 2020, she was scheduled to go to Alaska, but her trip had to be cancelled due to pandemic circumstances.

Ardythe was an avid quilter and prided herself on hand stitching a quilt for each of her 19 grandchildren. Ardythe was very involved in Genealogy and dug deep into family histories.  Finding relatives all over the country was thrilling to her.  Her contacts with new found family members were something she cherished deeply.

Ardythe and Jim were able to spend many years as snow birds in Apache Junction, Arizona. She was very involved in activities in the park where they made their winter home.  Ardythe was married to Jim for 70 years.  After Jim’s death in 2017, she continued to drive to Arizona and wintered there enjoying the sunshine, warm weather, and the friendships she held dear.  She played cards, met with a quilting club, sang in a choir, and was always proud to call herself a “Hooker”, as she was involved with a crochet group. She loved music and didn’t miss a musical production offered by the park.

Ardythe had a heart that never stopped growing. She will be missed by her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, great great grandchildren, her large extended family, and many dear friends. Ardythe believed a world without hugs was no world at all, and she felt lucky to be able get a hug from loved ones.

Ardythe is survived by her children Mary (Donald) Schmidt of Buffalo, Deberah (Mark) Holmquist of Coon Rapids, Michael (Kris) Ryan of Mora, Kathleen (Donald) Coyour of Mankato, Ann (Daniel) Peterson of Pine City; 19 grandchildren; 45 great-grandchildren; 5 great-great-grandchildren; 3 great-great-grandchildren on the way; siblings Virgil (LaVonne) Swanson, Nancy Koelln, Margaret (Myron) Janke, Thomas (Chloe) Swanson, Jeanette (Jimmy) Johnson, Vicki Buschmann, Phillip (Susan) Swanson, LeRoy Swanson, and Jerald Swanson; sisters-in-law Jean (Mike) Schmitz and Jan Ryan; many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband James Ryan; infant daughter Theresa Ryan; daughter Peggy Ryan-Christian; brother James Swanson.

A visitation for Ardythe will be held 4-7 PM; Thursday, February 18, 2021 at the Swanson Funeral Chapel in Pine City. Monsignor Aleksander Suchan will celebrate a private Mass for Ardythe's children and grandchildren at St. Joseph's Catholic Church of Beroun with interment in Calvary Catholic Cemetery of Pine City.

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to: Funeral and Cremation Service of Pine City, Swanson Chapel                                                  www.FuneralAndCremationService.com