Michael Joseph Ryan Jr., 75, Main Line cardiologist dedicated to preventing heart disease

Michael Joseph Ryan Jr., 75, formerly of St. Davids, a Main Line cardiologist, died Tuesday, June 6, of complications from cancer at Bryn Mawr Hospital, where he had practiced for almost four decades.

He died in the hospital's Neuro-Cardiac Intensive Care unit, in the company of family and under the care of "all the nurses he had worked with," said his wife, Priscilla Murphy Ryan.

Dr. Ryan had always wanted to be a doctor like his father, Michael Joseph Ryan. although when it came time to decide on a specialty, he chose cardiology rather than practicing in Kansas City, Kan., in the area of ear, nose and throat ailments, as his father had.

In 1967, Dr. Ryan graduated from the University of Kansas Medical School and finished an internship there before serving in the Navy as a lieutenant commander.

He completed a residency in internal medicine at Hartford Hospital and a fellowship in cardiology under Nobel Peace Prize recipient Bernard Lown at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.  Afterward, Dr. Ryan became board certified in cardiovascular disease and internal medicine.

In 1978, he moved to the Main Line to join Cardiology Associates at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

"He always said it was an honor and a privilege when someone asked you to be their physician," his family wrote in a tribute. His bedside manner was "kind and considerate," his wife said.

Dr. Ryan had a life-altering event in 1987. While walking into the hospital emergency room to see a patient, he realized his heart was in trouble.

"Take an EKG," his wife said he told his partner. "There's something going on."

He was rushed into the cardiac catheterization lab, where the doctors found blockages, and from there into surgery for an open-heart triple bypass procedure the same day.

When he recovered, he told his wife: "This is not going to happen to me again." He made lifestyle changes for himself, and dedicated the rest of his career to preventing heart disease in others.

In 1997, he established the Cardiovascular Risk Identification and Treatment Center at Bryn Mawr, which took a multifaceted approach – medicine and exercise – to staving off heart problems.

He and Joan Gibson, a registered nurse, developed therapies to slow or thwart the blockage of arteries. They had some success in reducing the rate of sudden death, and published some of their findings in the American Journal of Cardiology.

Born in Kansas City, Kan., he was also the son of Mary Goetz Ryan. He attended Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Mo., where he was a respected leader of the Class of 1959. He played baseball and captained the football team.

He earned a bachelor of science degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1963. Throughout his life, he was a passionate alumnus of Notre Dame, closely following its football team.

While stationed in Goose Creek, S.C., during his military service, Dr. Ryan became enamored of sailing. He bought his first sailboat there, and later spent time on his boat, Alliance, in the Chesapeake Bay and at Newport, R.I.

"He raced on sailboats in numerous regattas and served as ship's doctor aboard a boat that competed in a Newport to Bermuda race," his wife said.

Jim Gorman, a friend of Dr. Ryan's from Drexel Hill, said in an online tribute that he and the doctor bonded in the gym at the Philadelphia Country Club over a shared love of sports.

"I would keep him company during his 60-minute rowing bouts, and he would regale me with great stories from his Notre Dame days. He was very endearing and passionate about many subjects," Gorman wrote.

In addition to sports and sailing, Dr. Ryan enjoyed bridge, travel with his wife, and gardening and cooking.

He doted on his grandchildren, and traveled to spend time with them and appear on the sidelines at their sporting events.

Besides his wife of 52 years, he is survived by children Michael J. III, Charles, Kevin and Priscilla G.; 12 grandchildren, and a brother.

Funeral services were Saturday, June 10.

Memorial donations may be made to the Bryn Mawr Hospital Foundation, 130 S. Bryn Mawr Ave., Bryn Mawr, Pa. 19010, or to LuMind Research Down Syndrome Foundation. 225 Cedar Hill St., Suite 200. Marlborough, Mass. 01752, and via LuMind RDS@LuMindRDS.org.