Obituary: Caryl S. Ryan, 81, Of Wallingford

WALLINGFORD, CT — (From Wallingford Funeral Home): Caryl S. Ryan, 81, of Wallingford, loving wife of the late Kenneth Ryan, passed away May 7, 2024 at the Village at Kensington Place in Meriden.

Caryl was born in Boston, Massachusetts on July 16, 1942, a daughter of the late William and Dorothy (O’Brien) McCarthy. Raised in Dedham, MA, Caryl attended Dedham schools and graduated Valedictorian of Dedham High School’s Class of 1960. Caryl went on to graduate from UMass Amherst in 1964, where she met the love of her life, and they settled in Wallingford, CT.

Caryl was a talented homemaker who volunteered for many years in Wallingford as a Girl Scout leader and CCD teacher at Our Lady of Fatima Church.

After raising her family, Caryl was active in the Wallingford community. She served as Executive Director and Board Member for Wallingford Center, Inc., was appointed to the Wallingford Committee on Aging, and was a long-time member of the Wallingford Garden Club, often seen planting pots and weeding gardens downtown.

Caryl was a founder of Celebrate Wallingford and the Wallingford Garden Market, and she supported numerous town charities and events through the years.

Caryl was a woman with many interests and gifts. She was a master gardener, an outstanding cook and baker (except for the chocolate tofu pie that one time), a seamstress, knitter, quilter, floral designer, singer and painter.

Caryl and Ken restored a 1730s farmhouse, where she discovered a passion and went on to restore two other properties. Caryl loved the outdoors in all seasons, and was an avid hiker, kayaker, cross-country skier and swimmer.

She was a long-time patron of the Wallingford Symphony Orchestra and a dedicated fan of the Boston Red Sox and UConn Women’s basketball. She and Ken traveled extensively and spent summers at their beloved White Island Pond in Wareham, Ma, where she spent summers growing up.

Caryl was a brilliant, creative, humble and kind soul and will be missed by all who knew and loved her. The family would like to thank her caregivers and friends at the Village at Kensington Place for the love and kindness they gave Caryl during her time there and in her final days.

Caryl is survived by her daughters, Colleen Daddona and her husband, David, Kate Ryan, and Mary Burke and her husband, Patrick; her sister, Donna McCarthy and her husband, Stanley Kososki; her grandchildren, Kerry Cheh and her husband, Adam, Kathryn Stakey and her husband, Nick, Conor Caneday, Eamon Burke and Cormac Burke; three great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her brothers, William and David McCarthy.

Caryl’s family will receive relatives and friends at The Wallingford Funeral Home, 809 North Main Street Ext. on Monday, May 20, 2024 from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. Her funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. in the funeral home. Interment will be in the In Memoriam Cemetery in Wallingford.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Wallingford Symphony Orchestra, PO Box 6023, Wallingford, CT 06492 or the Wallingford Garden Club, PO Box 770, Wallingford, CT 06492.

For more information and to leave online condolences, visit Wallingford Funeral Home here.