Frances Lee (Coletta) Ryan

Frances Lee Ryan, was born Frances Lee Coletta on January 29, 1940, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and passed away peacefully on May 24, 2025, in Westfield, Indiana, under the care of her amazing team of caregivers and after a fifteen-year battle with Alzheimer’s-related dementia. The Daughter of Lavinia Luda (Warner) Coletta and Francis “Frank” Victor Coletta, she had one brother, Frank Sewell Coletta. 

Fran grew up in the Pittsburgh Borough of Swissvale, graduating from Swissvale High School in 1958.  She was a scholar among her peers, excelled in choir and was president of her sorority- where she met and kept many lifelong friends and godparents to her future children. She learned the art of cooking from Nonna’s in her life. At age 15, she met her lifelong partner Jack Ryan, who attended Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School.  After graduation, Fran took classes while working at the University of Pittsburgh and Jack enlisted in the Army.  They were wed while Jack was on leave from a tour in Germany on January 11, 1960.

Together, they had three sons.  Keith Raymond Ryan was born in October 1960 and Kevin Vincent Ryan was born in October 1961; brothers that to this day refer to themselves together as “Irish twins”.  Their third son Kerry John Ryan was born in 1966.  In 1968, the family moved to the Chicago suburb of Hanover Park, where Fran lived until shortly before Jack’s passing in 2022.

Fran became a medical transcriptionist and worked nights at a local hospital while her children were young, continuing her tireless daytime work as a mother all the while. After 13 years in the field, she and two partners founded their own transcription business, contracting with Chicago area hospitals and physicians.  After some years, the partners moved on and Fran ran the business on her own until her retirement in 2000.

Her love of music continued throughout her life through two stints with local performance choirs and more so, as she shared her gift of song with her children and grandchildren.  Her cooking prowess, which may have seemed more commonplace back in Swissvale, separated her from other midwestern moms, while at the same time generously bringing and keeping families together.  Granny Franny, as she may ultimately be remembered, taught her children and her children’s children to be loving and to love all.  She put her words to action as an unshakably caring matriarch, an unremitting political campaigner and an enthusiastic English-second language volunteer instructor, after retirement.

Until her last breath, Fran cared most about the welfare and needs of those whom she loved.

During said life of love, Fran was preceded in death by her parents, her parents-in-law, John and Helen Ryan; brother, Frank and sister-in-law, Patricia (Little) Coletta; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, James and Lois (Ryan) Hickey; and nephew James Hickey.

She is survived by her three sons; daughters-in-law Karla and Sarah; nieces, Trish and Lauren; nephews, Frank, Michael, Dean, John Jim and Chris; grandchildren, Shamus, Clayton, Cassidy, Zachary, Riley, Emily and Lila; her dear friend and godmother to her third child, Patricia (Scharbo) Barefoot; many members of her second family, the ‘Nuzzos’; and her great grandchildren, whom she never had the pleasure to know.

From Fran’s family to yours: Love to all whom she has touched; in your past, present and future.

Bussell Family Funerals is privileged to assist the Ryan family with arrangements.

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