John William Ryan III

May 3, 1945 – May 9, 2026

John William Ryan III, 81, of Glen Arm, Maryland, passed away peacefully at home on May 9, 2026, surrounded by his loving family. Known to nearly everyone as Jack, he was born on May 3, 1945, in Knoxville, Tennessee, the son of John William Ryan, a career engineer with M.W. Kellogg, and Marion Bell, a homemaker.

Jack grew up as the older of two brothers. Following the end of World War II and the completion of Manhattan Project–related construction at Oak Ridge, the Ryans moved several times across the country during Jack's youth, including Texas and upstate New York. According to his brother Steve, "We went wherever Dad took us. We went where the jobs were." Through every move, Jack maintained his passion for scouting, camping, and fishing. With the family eventually settling in Maryland, he graduated from St. Mary's High School in 1963.

After briefly attending the University of Maryland and clerking for the FBI in the Baltimore office, Jack joined the ranks of the Baltimore Police Department in 1966. Performing at a high level in the academy and garnering the attention of leadership, he recalled being instructed at graduation to report directly to the office of Commissioner Donald Pomerleau on the following Monday — a move so surprisingly sudden that the supervisor expecting him to report to the Western District called his home looking for him.

During his time assigned to the intelligence unit of the Inspectional Services Division, Jack worked on investigations involving organized crime and the political and anti-war groups of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Attending the University of Baltimore for his undergraduate degree and earning promotion to sergeant, he was assigned as instructor at the Baltimore Police Academy, adapting the agency to the era of progressive changes in the mid-1970s. Not just an instructor for newly minted cadets, he also represented the academy in community outreach programs throughout the districts during those tumultuous times.
On September 21, 1968, he married Valerie Elizabeth Arras of Baltimore, a registered nurse who would steadfastly remain the love of his life for the next 57 years.
In 1977, Jack left the Baltimore Police Department as a lieutenant and relocated to Salisbury, Maryland, to become one of the first instructors for criminal justice and law enforcement at Wor-Wic Community College, in what would eventually become the Eastern Shore Criminal Justice Academy. He also joined the Ocean City Police Department as deputy chief, leading modernization efforts for the force, from communications to community-based initiatives. At the same time, he pursued his master's degree in public administration from George Washington University, graduating in 1979.He would later recount how, with limited classroom space for night school on the GW campus, he commuted from work in Ocean City to courses hosted at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
In 1983, Jack left sworn law enforcement for the second chapter of his career, bringing his knowledge and experience to Baltimore Gas and Electric, where he oversaw the growth of the corporate security and investigations arm of the company to meet the emergent challenges facing the utility. He retired from Constellation Energy in 2011. A teacher at heart, he consistently taught as adjunct faculty in criminal justice at community colleges throughout the area for the duration of his professional career.
Above all, Jack was a man whose presence made the world feel steadier. A devoted husband who traveled the country in an RV with the love of his life and thought that was the best life could offer. A loving father who called his daughter Bear and Poohbear and Pumpkin and Pudge, and who raised his son to be the man who would one day write these words. A PopPop who spent his 81st birthday singing "Happy Birthday" with his granddaughters, who asked about their roommates and their plans, and who apologized for missing a graduation he desperately wished he could attend. A man who loved animals of all kinds and was never without a dog at his feet. A man with a wonderful, dry sense of humor who loved to laugh. A man who ended every goodbye the same way: "Be safe."
Jack Ryan was a dedicated public servant, an instructor for generations of police officers and college students, and an accomplished leader in both the public and private sectors. He was a man of integrity to everyone he touched across the years, both professionally and personally.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 57 years, Valerie Elizabeth Ryan (née Arras); his son John "Jay" William Ryan IV (Jessica) and daughter Erin Ryan Stamper (David); his cherished granddaughters, Caeleigh and McKinley Stamper; his loving brother Stephen Ryan (Cathy); and extended family and friends.
Friends may call at the family-owned Ruck Towson Funeral Home, Inc., 1050 York Road (beltway exit 26), on Tuesday, May 19, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM.  A memorial service with law enforcement honors will be held at Glen Meadows Retirement Community, 11630 Glen Arm Road, Glen Arm, Maryland 21057, on Wednesday, May 20, at 2:00 PM. Interment private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his name to the ASPCA at www.ASPCA.org