[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 20, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H2149-H2150]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING DANNY RYAN

  (Mr. Lynch of Massachusetts was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, this morning I take the floor of the people's 
House in memory of the late Danny Ryan, or ``Budzo'' to those who were 
lucky enough to have known him.
  Danny Ryan passed away earlier this month. His absence, like his 
presence, has left a profound impact on all the people and communities 
he touched throughout his nearly 82 years of life.

[[Page H2150]]

  Danny Ryan was born in the Savin Hill section of Dorchester in the 
city of Boston, Massachusetts, and remained devoted to the community 
throughout his life.
  He was involved in Dorchester youth sports. Danny volunteered in 
youth soccer before it was popular, and coached Little League. He was a 
huge supporter of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester. He coached 
girls' basketball.
  Danny performed a thousand other acts of kindness, often with his 
special needs family members Michael or Rocco in tow, the kinds of 
things that would turn a cluster of three-deckers with people speaking 
seven different languages into a single community.
  Danny's official title was court officer for the Boston Municipal 
Court. For over 30 years, Budzo's job was to stand in court at the 
judge's elbow, ostensibly as security. In reality, he was a witness as 
every sad, sorry, or sinister episode on the court's calendar that day 
proceeded to judgment.
  That experience put Danny in a position to see humanity at its worst 
moments day after day and arraignment after arraignment: Abject 
poverty, broken families, homelessness, domestic violence, gang 
violence, much of it was fueled by a desperate lack of opportunity and 
a numbing level of substance abuse. It was enough to make anyone lose 
hope.
  While the court may have rendered judgment, Danny Ryan did not. It 
appeared to have the opposite effect on Danny. It seemed to open his 
heart. Many believed that it was through that experience that Danny 
found his true purpose in life. He figured it out. He often recited the 
fact that 90 percent of the cases that came before the court and 90 
percent of the sentenced individuals had underlying substance abuse 
issues that were really at the root of their offensive behavior.
  He had this idea that if he could just get at the source of that 
substance abuse disorder and fix that problem, the other stuff either 
went away or became more manageable.
  Danny didn't just preach sobriety. He lived by example. Danny was 
sober for over 51 years, and he was extremely proud and grateful to be 
part of the wider recovery community.
  For over 15 years, Danny was on the board of directors for the Gavin 
Foundation, a hugely successful substance abuse treatment program. He 
played a big role in helping the Gavin Foundation expand and diversify 
their services into different populations across the city and to the 
city of Quincy.
  During AA meetings, Danny was always the first to welcome new members 
and offer them help and guidance on their journey. There is no doubt, 
Mr. Speaker, that Danny Ryan helped keep families together and saved 
hundreds of lives. He became transformed into someone whose purpose and 
passion in life was for helping others.
  No matter what their situation, he treated everyone with dignity and 
respect. If someone needed help, meeting them or going halfway was 
never enough. He made it his business to go out of his way to assist 
those in need.
  Danny was a proud graduate of Boston College High School and a 
recipient of their Paul J. Hunter Man for Others Award. It is given to 
people who demonstrate high moral character and a strong sense of 
service to others. That was Danny. In fact, one of his favorite mottoes 
to live by was: Try to help three people a day.

  Danny and his wife, Dorothy, have four beautiful daughters: Melissa, 
Shannon, Danielle, and Kasey. He was a proud husband, father, 
grandfather, and was blessed with eight grandchildren.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I pray that Danny Ryan's life and his work 
might serve as an example to us all.

                          ____________________