James M. Ryan "Jim" of Plano Texas, passed peacefully surrounded by his family on October 4th 2017 at the age of 85 after a long battle with MDS. Jim will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 52 years, Bonnie Ryan and his children Tim and Anita Ryan, Michael and Jheri Knowles, Victor and Angie Ryan and Michael P. Ryan. Jim is also survived by his 9 grandchildren Nicole, Ken, Michael, Preston, Christina, Christoph, Oliver, Simone and Ayleen. His 5 great grandchildren, Kaleb, Addison, Vincent, Dylan and Ellie. He will also be remembered by his brother John "Jack" Ryan and sister-in-law Barbara Ryan. Jim is preceded in death by his parents Albert and Mary Ryan. He will be greatly missed by all his family and friends. Jim had a passion for flying, genealogy, HAM radio, and exploring the back roads of America with his best friend Bonnie. An avid history buff, he documented the Santa Fe Trail and contributed to rail and aviation museums. Jim was a Navy veteran and an accomplished private pilot with over 2000 hours of general aviation flight time. Among his accomplishments, he pioneered wireless communications by presenting the world's first briefcase telephone as the marketing VP for Tel-Com in the early 70's and was responsible for securing the initial cellular mobile telephone frequency allocations from the FCC for AT&T and Bell Labs. Jim helped to shape the technology and infrastructure for Collin County and the City of Plano and served in numerous appointments and committees including Chairman of the technology board and director for the Plano Conservancy for Historic Preservation. A Celebration Memorial of Jims life will be held on October 12th at 11 AM - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 2700 W. Spring Creek Parkway in Plano, Texas. Memorial donations may be made to the MDS Foundation in memory of James "Jim" Ryan. https://www.mds-foundation.org/donate/ Follow the links below for more information on Jim's profile and genealogy research . http://vicryan.com/JMR_Web_Root/jmrprofile.htm http://vicryan.com/JMR_Web_Root/genes/index.htm Arrangements are under the direction of ARIA Cremation Service and Funeral Home 19310 Preston Road Dallas, Texas 75252 214-306-6700