We Remember

RYAN, Timothy Edmund “Tim”

1945 – 2026

Timothy Edmund Ryan, age 80, passed away peacefully on June 12th, surrounded by his family. A man of strong will and free-spoken independence, Tim had a limitless ability to live outside the box and always preferred to do things his own way.

Born in Saskatoon in 1945, Tim grew up with a busy mother raising four children with an absent father. One of his earliest business ventures while still attending St Paul’s Elementary School involved buying warm cases of pop, cooling them, and hauling them to construction workers in the “suburbs” of Taylor and Dufferin on his bike — an early sign of the resourcefulness and entrepreneurial spirit that would define much of his life.

At 22, Tim walked into a dentist’s office and met Joy, a dental assistant in that office. He suddenly became very interested in his oral health as he returned again and again until every cavity was filled and, eventually, Joy agreed to a date. They were married in 1969 and went on to raise three children while building a life together. Tim is lovingly remembered by his wife of 57 years, Joy Elaine Ryan; his children, Shaun (Kimberly) Ryan, Sharmaine (Jason) McCumber, and Shantelle Ryan; and his grandchildren, Bennett, Kaden, Heidi, Spencer, and Bodhi.

Soon after getting married, he also began building homes. He moved his family into one home after another for many years – build, sell, move, build, sell, move. What started as side work eventually grew into a successful real estate development business — one he enjoyed for the
remainder of his life.

Outside of work, Tim and Joy built a full and adventurous life together. They spent many winters in Mazatlán, Mexico, where Tim loved sending photos of the sunset over the ocean to the kids back home in freezing Saskatoon. They traveled to Romania where Tim taught conversational
English in an orphanage, and to 15 other countries. Later in life, they walked the Camino de Santiago trail through Spain together — twice — as well as the West Highland Way in Scotland and Wicklow Way in Ireland, covering a combined distance of over 1,600 km, with Tim’s raucous laughter and conversation the soundtrack through the trails as he made more new friends. This ability to connect with people was one of Tim’s most memorable traits; If you spent a few minutes with him on any trail, restaurant, or airport, he would definitely come across several different people he knew there.

In the last few years, Tim faced his health challenges with the same strength and resolve that he brought to everything else in life. In the end, his passing was mercifully swift and without prolonged suffering — something his family is so very grateful for.

A Celebration of Life will be held in Saskatoon, likely in mid-August.

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