Obituary of Janet Lee Ryan

Janet Lee Ryan of Northport and Port St. Lucie Florida entered into eternal rest on March 2, 2019. She was born at Huntington Hospital and raised in Kings Park. She traveled the world at a young age with her first husband James Donaldson and lived in Sydney, Australia for a short time before moving back to Long Island. She ventured out to live in Arizona for one year, but New York was always in her heart, so she moved back and spent the next few decades raising her family in Northport.

Always having a thirst for knowledge and an inspirational drive, Janet decided as an adult to return to school while raising a family and working full time. She received her Associate degree in General Education from Suffolk Community College, a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management from DeVry University, and her Master’s degree in Human Resource Management at Argosy University. Janet was always ambitious and had a wonderful career that included working many years for Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield; she was there during the 9/11 attacks as her office was located at the One World Trade Center. Most recently she worked for the General Services Administration (GSA) in Miami managing the historic David Dyer Courthouse and other buildings in the area.

While Janet always loved New York, she and her husband Kevin embraced an opportunity to relocate to Miami where they spent 13 years enjoying the warm weather and cultural experiences. They loved the water and a perfect day was setting sail on the ocean after a morning of yoga in Bayfront Park. Janet was also an avid bicyclist and runner.

Janet is predeceased by her son, Joseph Donaldson. She leaves behind her loving husband Kevin Ryan, her daughter Jaclyn Donaldson Matthews and her husband Nathan, her son James Donaldson and his partner Gina Repetti, and step-daughter Maggie Pietsek and her husband Caleb. She was the cherished grandmother of Madison, Jacob & Jonathan Matthews and Raven, Jade & Keylee Pietsek. She was a devoted sister to Lyda Downs and her husband Bryan, and fond aunt of their children Karly, Kassidy, Anthony, and Andrew.

The visitation will take place at Nolan Funeral Home, 5 Laurel Avenue, Northport, NY on Tuesday, March 5, 2019. Visitation hours will be from 2:00pm-5:00pm and 7:00pm-9:00pm. Her funeral service will take place at 8:00pm. There will be a private cremation to follow. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (www.theftd.org).