William Ryan; Pat Nixon’s Brother
WOODLAND HILLS — William Ryan, the older brother of the late first lady Pat Nixon who gave her permission to marry future President Richard Nixon, has died.
Ryan, who worked as a lighting-prop manager in the film industry for 45 years, mostly with 20th Century Fox, died Thursday at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital. He was 87.
Born Jan. 31, 1910, in Ely, Nev., Ryan was raised in Artesia. As the eldest of the three Ryan siblings, he helped to raise Pat and brother Tom and put them through college after their parents died at a young age, said Glenn Ryan, one of William Ryan’s two sons.
In his role as patriarch, William was approached by a young suitor named Richard Nixon asking for Pat’s hand in marriage, Glenn Ryan said.
William and his wife, Marie, attended the elaborate weddings of both Nixon daughters, Julie Nixon Eisenhower in New York and Tricia Nixon Cox at the White House. The couple also attended backyard barbecues at the Nixons’ former home in Bel-Air, Glenn Ryan said.
The younger Ryan said he recalls cruising the streets of Bel-Air in a convertible with his famous uncle at the wheel. He also recalls riding the Disneyland monorail with Nixon at the grand opening of the amusement park.
“Uncle Dick was more of an uncle to me and less of a politician,†Ryan said.
The elder Ryan, a Navy veteran of World War II, was a political supporter of Nixon, Glenn Ryan said.
A private memorial service for William Ryan, a longtime Northridge resident, will be held today. His ashes will be scattered off Newport Beach, his son said.
In addition to his wife, Marie, of Northridge, and son Glenn, of Leona Valley, William Ryan is survived by another son, Richard Ryan of Northridge; four grandchildren, Heather, Glenn, Holly and Summer; and four great-grandchildren, Skyler, P.J., Haley and Hope Marie.
