Shirley A. Ryan
By: Star News Group Staff | Published: 2025-07-28 16:55:00 | Source: starnewsgroup.com
Shirley (Rodie) Ryan, of Spring Lake, NJ, died peacefully at home on July 21, 2025, surrounded by her daughters. Born in 1934 to Katherine Rodie May, she spent her early life in Leonia and Tenafly, NJ. She graduated from Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School, an institution known for preparing women for career opportunities, and was hired by CBS News as executive assistant to Thomas H. Ryan, one of the network’s first legal consultants for programming and talent. After resigning several times over what she diplomatically called ‘irreconcilable differences,’ Shirley shocked everyone by announcing her engagement to the very same man – proving some love stories start with flowers, others with a flurry of resignation letters. They were married in 1962 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in…
