Carmel Ryan

Carmel Ayala Ryan of Newalla, Oklahoma and Carpinteria, California was born to Alexander and Ruby Ayala on July 20, 1940 in Los Angeles, California and passed away on January 20, 2021 in Norman, Oklahoma. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Frank Clark, husband Rudolph Everett Ryan Jr. and son Brent Ryan. After receiving degrees from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona and The University of California Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara, California, she went on to spend most of her working years as a nurse and a teacher. Carmel was a sister, mother to a blended family of 9, grandmother to many, and great-grandmother to two, and loved by all.  She loved her family and friends above all else, always thought of others, and ways to enrich their lives. Carmel, truly, never met a stranger. She made friends easily and everywhere she went, and maintained those friendships for life with regular calls, letters, cards, and gifts. She enjoyed spending most of her days talking for hours on the phone and creating handwritten letters to those she loved. Even though she moved to Oklahoma over 20 years ago and made many new friends, she stayed in constant contact with her friends from California and other states. She was proud to still have many close friends from as far back as her school days. You couldn’t have a conversation face-to-face, or on the phone, with Carmel without it ending with a heart-felt, sincere, “I Love You,” from her.

There will be a burial service in Carpinteria, California at a later date to fulfill her wishes of being laid to rest alongside her beloved parents.

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