Jean Ruth Ryan Oxley

Jean Ruth (Ryan) Oxley, 78, passed away June 13 at her home in Cheyenne, Wyoming. She was born February 10, 1943 in Laramie, Wyoming. She was the youngest of 12 children born to her parents Marion Rebecca McDiarmid and Arthur Bernard Ryan. She was an educator and genealogist whom was active in the Catholic community in Laramie and Cheyenne. She belonged to the Albany County Genealogical Society. Jean was proud of her family heritage and went to Wisconsin many times for family reunions as well as to Salt Lake City to extensively research her family history. In 2008, she published a two-volume ancestral review on the Ryan and McDiarmid families. She enjoyed travelling abroad to Ireland, Spain, and camping and hiking in her younger years.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1965, and a Masters Degree in Education in 1983 with an emphasis in reading from the University of Wyoming. She was a schoolteacher in Encampment, Clearmont, Guernsey, and Laramie. She was married from 1963 to 1976 to Harry Oxley.

Jean was predeceased by her parents, Arthur Ryan and Marion (McDiarmid) Ryan, her siblings Arthur, Howard, Mary (Ryan) Heinzinger, Teresa, Martha, Andrew, James, Patrick, Michelle (born as Michael), Thomas, Marjory, and niece Patricia Ryan (daughter of Andrew).

Jean is survived by her other nieces and nephews: Kathleen Ryan; Rebecca Ryan-Jones; Peter Ryan ; Helen (Ryan) Joiner; Joseph Ryan; Teresa (Ryan) McCartney; Christina Ryan; Heidi (Ryan) Davis; Jim Ryan; Mark Heinzinger; Gregory Heinzinger; Nina Heinzinger; Rita (Heinzinger) Mellema; Timothy Ryan; Sue Ryan; and Michael Ryan.

A funeral mass will be held at St. Paul Newman Center in Laramie on September 24th at 10:30 a.m. with internment to follow at Greenhill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Newman Center at https://www.newmancenter.org/donate/ or St. Mary’s Cathedral at stewardship@stmarycathedral.com