Jan. 20, 1936—

June 21, 2011

A funeral mass for James Philip “Pat” Ryan, 75, of Atlanta, will be held Monday, June 27, at 10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta.

Burial will be in the family plot in Ruston, La., at a later date.

Visitation will be Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Fischer Funeral Care in Atlanta.

Mr. Ryan was born in Ruston, La., the son of Robert Edmond Ryan and Mable Clair Warren Ryan on Jan. 20, 1936, and died June 21, 2011. His father was a civil engineer who supervised the building of the secret German POW Camp in Ruston. As a child, Pat would enter the compound and mingle with the prisoners who gave him toys they made in their spare time. In 2009 Pat donated all his historical items to Louisiana Tech Library.

He graduated from C.E. Byrd High School in Shreveport, received a degree in architecture from Tulane University in New Orleans and a Master’s in Business Administration from Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. He served in the U.S. Army from 1958-1960, based in Korea.

Pat was a restaurateur with Ruby Red’s in New Orleans. He started and operated Ruby Red’s Warehouse in Atlanta’s underground, then The Country Gourmet on Roswell Road in Piedmont Center and Ruby Red’s Warehouse on Old Ivy. He was an accomplished pianist and often performed for the customers. In later life tennis became his passion and he played in the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to one of Mr. Ryan’s favorite organizations: The Bainbridge-Decatur County Council for the Arts, P.O. Box 35, Bainbridge, GA 39818.

Fischer Funeral Care is in charge of the arrangements.