[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15404]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF MR. RICHARD ``FOZ'' RYAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 12, 2011

  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join 
me in celebrating the life of Mr. Richard ``Foz'' Ryan, teacher, coach 
and community servant, who passed away this week on Monday, October 10, 
2011.
  A native of East St. Louis, Illinois, Foz Ryan was a competitive 
athlete who blended his interests in education and sports as a highly 
successful coach. Foz coached an impressive array of sports over a 36 
year career, including basketball, football, cross country, track and 
volleyball. The lessons learned by his athletes enabled them to achieve 
success, not only in their athletic pursuits, but in life as well.
  Foz never faced a worthy cause he did not champion or an event he 
could not organize. He became involved with the Special Olympics over 
30 years ago and was a dedicated supporter of that organization ever 
since. While Foz was honored for his years of service to Special 
Olympics he noted that his true reward came through his interaction 
with the Special Olympics athletes.
  Through his work with the Knights of Columbus and the Ancient Order 
of Hibernians, Foz organized and initiated a number of community 
events, including the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Belleville, 
Illinois, which was founded through Foz's initiative and which has 
grown in popularity every year.
  Always proud of his Irish ancestry, Foz made several trips to Ireland 
and worked tirelessly to promote an appreciation for Irish heritage 
within his community. He was honored as the ``Hibernian of the Year'' 
and held every office of his local chapter of the Ancient Order of 
Hibernians.
  Foz Ryan's lifetime of achievement was accomplished through his roles 
as a teacher, coach, mentor, volunteer, fund-raiser and community 
servant. He is now reunited with his wife, Shirley, to whom he was 
married for 44 years and who preceded him in death in 2000. Foz is 
survived by three children, Theresa, Timothy and Patrick, and eight 
grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the life 
of Mr. Richard ``Foz'' Ryan, offering our best wishes to his family and 
recognizing the indelible mark he left on his community and in the 
hearts of everyone who knew him.

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