Jim was a hard worker, putting in countless overtime hours at Lincoln Electric System as a Gas Turbine operator. After 44 years at LES, he retired and looked for new projects to fill his time. Moving to Avoca, IA, in 2020, he joined the Golf Board and enjoyed helping to improve the course by planting trees, landscaping, and organizing a men’s golf league.
Growing up, Jim enjoyed showing horses, playing sports and pestering his big brother, John.
Jim loved spending time with his family, his Harley-Davidson motorcycles, vacations in Okoboji, camping at Branched Oak Lake, hunting, hot dogs, and “big juicy steaks”.
He never met a stranger, making new friends wherever he went. Once a friend, you were always a friend.
Jim was warm-hearted, generous, and loved to make people laugh.
Jim is survived by his wife, Rhonda; daughter, Jamie (Shawn) Sexson; son, Nicholas (Tosca) Ryan; stepdaughters, Rebecca Warner and Suzanne Warner; grandchildren, Taylor (Connor) Churchill, Maxwell Kvittem, Ansley (Dylan) Metcalf, Seth Cayette-Ezzell, Kristen Sharkey (Cori Hofmeister), Janessa Bartek-Ryan, and Brooklyn Ryan; great-grandchildren, Oliver, Archer, Wyatt, James, and Meyer; brother, John (Kim) Ryan; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Jim and Roxanne Hester, Jeane Martin, Jim and Robin Rittenberger, and Shirley Hogeland; along with numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. He is preceded in death by his parents, son, Joseph Ryan, and brothers-in-law, Rodney Hogeland and Bruce Martin.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 5, 2026, at Roper and Sons South Chapel (3950 Hohensee Dr, Lincoln, NE 68516).
A life celebration gathering will be held from 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at the Avoca CountryView Golf and Clubhouse in Avoca, IA.
Memorials are designated to the American Cancer Society.