Lois A Ryan
October 17, 1945 ~ January 7, 2019
Born in:
Sacred Heart, MN
Resided in:
Lilburn, GA
Lois Ann (Barnaal) Ryan was born October 17, 1945 to Melvin and Edith Barnaal of Sacred Heart Minnesota. She resided with her parents and siblings, Dennis, Merle, Lesterand Marianne at her paternal grandfather’s homestead farm in Sacred Heart, Minnesota until she graduated from Sacred Heart High School in the spring of 1963. Lois graduated from Augsburg College, Minnesota, in 1967. At various times, Lois continued her education and received graduate degrees from Middlebury College, Mercer University and Georgia State University.
During her adult years, Lois enjoyed various careers and lived in several different states as well as several years in Germany. The last decades of her life, Lois lived in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia where she had her own CPA firm.
Lois is preceded in death by her father and mother, Melvin and Edith Barnaal and brother, Lester Barnaal and sister-in-law, Roberta Barnaal. She is survived by brothers, Dennis Barnaal (Doris) of Decorah, Iowa and Merle Barnaal of Eden Prairie, Minnesota; and sister, Marianne Sundenmeyer (Gary) of St. Cloud Minnesota.
Lois and I made many memories together as college roommates and as we traveled together through the years. So sorry we lost touch as our lives went in different directions. My thoughts and prayers are with family and friends.
I was so sorry to learn of Lois’s death. I used her CPA services for many years and we became friends through our business dealings and also because she had a vacation home near where I live. I regret that I lost contact with her in more recent years, My thoughts are with her family, especially her niece Miyah whom I also came to know well.
We visited Lois in Atlanta in the summer 2000, and had a very nice time together with Lois. She showed us a lot of Atlanta and also brought us up to her nice cottage in North Carolina. Thank you for taking so very good care of us.
I am Marianne’s daughter, Miyah. Anyway, Lois adopted me at 21 and after I moved from Minnesota to Georgia. During 15 years, she helped me move forward in my own life. Because of her today, I would not be as far as I am. For instance, she told me that in order to go to college, math would be a requirement. 7 years prior to moving in with Lois, my family and I visited Lois in 1996 prior to the Summer Olympics and again in 2012. It was both of these time and because of Lois living in Atlanta that I fell in love and knew I wanted to move down.
I am sorry to hear that Lois has passed. I was referred to Lois and her CPA service by a friend who was also a transplant from the MidWest (I am from Iowa) some twenty years ago. I thought Lois was great! She never lost her distinctive Minnesota accent. Besides my full-time job, I’m a self-employed composer and I have had a number of health issues following me around over the years. I’ve always felt that Lois was watching out for me. She would always contact me well in advance of tax time, and she would contact me with tax updates and matters that might concern me. Just before Thanksgiving 2018 she sent me an article about HSAs and wished me a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope she knew how I appreciated her. I will miss her.
I’m deeply sorry for your loss. I hope the words found at Revelation 21:4 brings comfort.
One year to the day of her passing. Note that I came down in 2000 and not 2012.
Anyway, I went to Disney World in honor of Lois in December, just a few weeks ago.