Abilene
Reporter-News
Thomas Richard "Tom" Ryan, renowned western
cowboy artist, left his earthly home on
Saturday, December 10, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona
at the age of 89 years, 10 months, 28 days. A
funeral service celebrating his life will be
held 2:00 p.m., December 16, 2011, at First
Baptist Church in Stamford with Rev. Cody
Cochran officiating. Tom will be laid to rest
next to his wife, Jacquie in Willow Cemetery,
Haskell under the care and direction of
Kinney-Underwood Funeral Home in Stamford.
Thomas Richard Ryan was born on January 12,
1922, in Springfield, Illinois, the son of the
late William Martin and Sarah (Berends) Ryan. He
served in the South Pacific with the U.S. Coast
Guard during World War II and after receiving an
honorable discharge, Tom married Jacqueline Ruth
"Jacquie" Harvey in 1946. They were proud
parents to three children, Tom, Jr., Mark, and
Kitsie. Jacquie preceded Tom in death in 1998.
Tom's talent as an artist began at an early age,
as he would sketch his friends. Tom studied at
the Chicago Institute of Art and finished his
schooling at the Art Students League in New
York. After his marriage to Jacquie, he began
working as an artist in an advertising agency
and doing free lance work. Tom and his two boys
began making frequent trips to Texas in 1958,
looking at and admiring the country he was
painting. Norman Rockwell recommended the work
of Tom Ryan to Brown and Bigelow as a potential
artist for their western calendars in 1963. In
the fall of 1963, he began visiting the 6666
Ranch at Guthrie and there began his long love
of painting the countryside and cowboys. Tom
spent many days going to roundups and living
alongside the cowboys of the 6666's. In 1964,
Tom became strictly a western artist. Many of
Ryan's paintings are of the 6666 chuck wagon and
long-time foreman of the 6666's, George
Humphreys. He moved his family from Springfield
to Lubbock in 1967 and then to the community of
Stamford, Texas in 1973.
In 1974, he helped to found the famous
Stamford Art Foundation which is still held
annually in conjunction with the Texas Cowboy
Reunion. Since that time, Tom's paintings have
appeared in such places as Cattleman's Magazine,
Life Magazine, Western Horseman, Southwestern
Art Scene Magazine and the large distribution of
calendars produced by Brown and Bigelow.
Paintings such as "Sharing an Apple" and "Sixty
Years in the Saddle" are on display in the
National Cowboy Hall of Fame. Tom Ryan has been
a member of the Cowboy Artists of America since
1966 and was considered one of the top western
artists for many years winning numerous awards.
Preceding Tom in death were his parents; his
wife; and a son, Tom Ryan, Jr.
Left to cherish his memory are children, Mark
Ryan and wife Julie of Scottsdale, Arizona,
Kitsie Drinnon and husband Ricky of Haskell; 10
grandchildren, Aaron Ryan Merritt, Thomas Ryan
III, Sarah Ryan, Ruth Ryan Ray, Stephanie Ryan,
Eric Ryan, Clayton Ryan, Steven Ryan, Ryan
Olson, Jaclyn Drinnon Rosbrugh; and 17 great
grandchildren.
The family requests memorials be sent to the
Haley Memorial Library, 1805 W. Indiana Avenue,
Midland, Texas 79701 or National Cowboy &
Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd Street,
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 73111.
Online condolences may be made at
www.kinneyunderwoodfuneralhome.com