Grace Marie Catherine Ryan (b. May 20, 1904, d. date unknown)
Grace Marie Catherine Ryan (daughter of John Francis Ryan and Lucy May Shannon) was born May 20, 1904 in Merrill, (Saginaw County), Michigan, and died date unknown. She married Theodore Goddard on June 06, 1925 in Merrill, (Saginaw County), Michigan.
Notes for Grace Marie Catherine Ryan: Grace Marie Catherine Ryan was born on the Ryan family farm one mile north of Merrill on Merrill Road. Her family lived off and on in the "Hotel Merrill," run by her father Johnny Francis Ryan. The hotel was in business with a saloon on the corner of M-46 and Merrill Road. Johnny Ryan ran the hotel until business slowed, selling the Hotel Merrill to Martin Madden, a cousin or close relative to Mary Keenan. Johnny Ryan owned two farms in Merrill which he leased out. One family was that of Ben Sweeny. Grace was unsure of the exact dates, but their family moved down to Columbiaville, Michigan, near lint (Genesee County). Johnny Ryan opened another hotel and the family remained there for a few years. When the family was in Columbiaville, they were privileged to take a short drive in the first automobile in the township. Grace said to her mother Lucy Ryan, "Let's never go this fast again, mama." Looking back now, Grace thinks the car traveled about tn miles an hour, but that was certainly fast for the times. Sometime later, the family moved back to Merill. Johnny ran Dillon's Salloon near the corner of M-46 and Merrill Road. Grace recalled walking to the Merrill Bakery withy grandmother [Mary Keenan] Shannon, on Easter to buy bread shaped like a bunny. School for the children began when the children were about seven years old. She went to Sacred Heart. School was taught by Sister Christina, Sister Margaret Mary and Sister Eleanor, her music teacher. Grace learned to play the piano at shool. She played "by ear" which would frustrate Sister Eleanor who wanted Grace to learn to read music. Grace's family moved onto the family farm when she was about ten years old. Johny Ryan planted, harvested and sold sugar beets, green beans and corn to suport the family. The beans were trucked over to the Merrill Beanery where the beans were "shucked" by hand and sold on the market. Twelve years after she was born, Grace was joined in the family by a new baby brother named Johnny Joseph Ryan January 21, 1913. Baby Johnny was born on the family farm. Sadly, the baby passed away on February 21, 1913. The viewing was held at the house and Frank Shannon and Johnny Ryan took the body to Sacred Heart Cemetery for burial. Being an infant there was no funeral mass. Then on June 22, 1920, the Ryan family was blessed with another beautiful baby girl. Grace was asked to name the baby and she chose Mary Jane Ryan. The two of them grew up as more than just sisters; they were friends for life. Grace graduated from Sacred Heart School in 1923. The school was located on Merrill Road, south of M-46. The schol had four classrooms. The cirriculum was pretty sparse. The "three-R's" were about it. After graduation, Grace went to Grand Rapids for Abfalter-Nash as a bookkeeper. Sheworked there a couple of months before moving on to Dykema's Pharmacy in Grand Rapids. She was learning to be a pharmacist. There was no formal training and learning was by doing. Grace learned to mix medicines. Two years later, when she was 20-21, Grace went to Saginaw with tonsilitis. While there, her parents asked her to stay in the area rather than move back to Grand Rapids, which she did. She soon went to work for the Culver-Deisler Pharmacy about a year. She was finishing her raining and education when she met a handsome chap named Theodore Goddard. Ted Goddard was the manager of the pharmacy's soda fountain. He summoned the courage to ask her out. They atended the DeMolay dance in Saginaw at the DeMolay Auditorium. That proved to be just the experience that completed part of who she was. Six months later, one night when he went to visit Grace in the boarding house on Weadock Road in Saginaw, Ted got down on one knee and asked Grace to be his wife. She accepted and the next day the announcement was made. race's father, Johnny, hugged her proudly and they welcomed Ted ito the family. Grace and Ted were married on June 25, 1925 in the Sacred Heart Parish Church, by Father Wynn. Grace wore a chiffon fabric dress colored "old rose," similar to a light pink. She did not want a white dress. Ted's sister Margaret Goddard and her boyfriend Lyle Mooney were their best-man and maid of honor. The ring was white gold (very new at that time) with a large white diamond center stone that Ted and his mother selected. He often joked about never being able to pay off the ring. Grace and Ted set up their first home on Michigan Avenue, before Ted was hired by Consumer's Power Company. They moved up to Oskoda, Michigan after just two months on Michigan Avenue. They set up housekeeping on the company property at Foote Dam where Ted was an "operator" at the dam. He learned electrical engineering and oversaw the operations of the dam's power producing turbines. The long hours and lengthy time away from home over a perio of four years, left Grace lonesome. Ted saw what was happening and left the power company. They moved to Detroit in 1929-1930. Their first home was Virginia Park Drive, where they lived for 4-5 years. Grace went to work for Hudson's Department Store as a pharnacist and Ted took a job with Geberal Motors, the exact nature of which has faded into time. Around 1935, Ted and Grace moved to Potosky, Michigan where they opened their first business, the "Par Four Club," on the golf course of the Bay View Country club. Grace cashiered while Ted managed the daily operations. The restaurant was open only in the summer months. They also opened a drive-through restaurant named "Teddy's Place," right next door and ran it during the summer months. During the cold Michigan winters, they would drive to Forida in their Oldsmobile, one of the first with an automatic transmission. That was considered quite exclusive at the time. Both Ted and Grace worked at Saks Fifth Avenue in Miami Beach. Ted worked as a shoe salesman and Grace worked in "ready-to-wear" department. Ted also tended bar in The American Hotel,vbon the side. Ted took the jobs to gain experience so he couldbetter run his own. They used to go a club named "The White House" where they danced to the Paul Whiteman Orchesta and Sophie Tucker's melodic voice. The club was quite a hot-spot, frequented by all the big movie stars from Hollywood. It was not uncommon to sit at a table next to Joan Crawford, Jimmy Durante, Martha Rae and Tony Martin. The stars preferred Miami over California during the winters because there were few venues that could support their lifestyles. Esther Williams, Lawrence Tibbits and Gladys Swarthout were customers of The Par Four when they performed in Potoska. Ted and Grace remained in the Potoska area for twenty years and retired to Saginaw, Michigan. During that time, Johnny and Lucy (Shannon) Ryan passead away on July 7, 1957 and February 2, 1961 respectively. Lucy sold the family farm shortly after Johnny's death, remaining in the original farmhouse on a life-long lease, common in those days, until her own death. Both Johnny and Lucy Ryan are buried in the family plot in beautiful Scred Heart Cemetery in Merrill, Michigan. In 1964 Ted and Grace returned to Fort Lauderdale, Florida where they lived full-time. Their last home was on 65th Avenue, in Sunrise, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. The built their single family anch style home on an exclusive court of other executive style homes. They enjoyed their retirement years until Ted began experiencing a slight cough. Grace said Ted had been well his entire life, with never as much as a headache until one day his coughing grew steadily worse. Ted's doctor would soon diagnose the mortal affliction of lung cancer in 1973. Ted maintained a positive outlook even after surgery was unable to arrest the disease. For almost a year, Ted was unable to sleep because the coughing that wracked his body was unstoppable. Grace said Ted never let himself frown and he remained brave and upbeat until the night he finally had to go to the hospital. He lived for another week or so and the following Friday, he quietly slipped from this world and stands waiting at Heaven's gates for the woman he loved above all else. Grace added,I just hope I can be as brave as he was." At his request, Ted was cremated and his ashes were scattered off the marina where they launched their boat, The Ni Ni, named after the nickname given to her by Mary Shannon Welch. Grace chose to remain at home in thought and memory as Ted's final wishes were carried out in the gentle breezes of the place from which they had drawn so much happiness, Pier 66 on 16th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In 1976, Grace returned to Merrill where she has spent her retirement years surrounded by friends and family. She has taken on an important role as "Grand Dame of the Shannon Clan," never known to have breathed an insulting reference to anyone. Ninety-six years of the world have passed by Grace's eyes. She has chosen to see only the positive in others and to ignore the bad. Her status as an elder stateswoman of the clan is widely known and respected. Taking from her own comment, I can only hope to be as brave as she has been all these years and through all of life's trials and hardships.
More About Grace Marie Catherine Ryan and Theodore Goddard: Death of one spouse: June 06, 1974, Ted Goddard passed away in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Marriage: June 06, 1925, Merrill, (Saginaw County), Michigan.
Marriage Notes for Grace Marie Catherine Ryan and Theodore Goddard: Grace Marie Catherine Ryan was born on
Grace Marie Catherine Ryan (b. May 20, 1904, d. date unknown)
Notes for Grace Marie Catherine Ryan: