Emily Ryan brought sign language and joy to her parish

If you are unfamiliar with St. Gerald Parish in Ralston and happen to be at a Sunday Mass there, you might notice something out of the ordinary.

When the congregation sings “Allelulia,” people often motion with the word, swirling their hands in small circles then raising them up to God.

They’re using sign language.

Besides being a way to glorify the Lord, the gesture is a reminder and tribute to the woman who taught them that bit of sign language: Emily Louise (Ohlinger) Ryan.

Ryan, a longtime St. Gerald parishioner, died Sept. 4 after a four-year battle with cancer. She was 75.

Hundreds of people went to the funeral services – a Sept. 9 vigil and Sept. 10 Mass – both at St. Gerald. The crowds were a testament to the way she connected with people and shared her faith with them, said her son Scott Ryan of Phoenix.

And of course, people in attendance sang and prayed the Alleluia in sign language.

Emily Ryan had been a sign language interpreter at Sunday Masses at St. Gerald for more than 25 years. She was a regular at the 9:30 a.m. Mass.

Her illness forced her to stop about six months ago, her son said.

Father Gary Ostrander, a former pastor of St. Gerald and Ryan’s longtime friend, presided at her funeral Mass.

On occasion, he said, he would slip in the word “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” (made famous by “Mary Poppins”) into a homily, just to have a little fun with her.

But the word was also a reminder of Ryan’s joy, he said.

She learned sign language after her daughter, Katie, contracted spinal meningitis as a 9-month-old and lost her hearing.

The mother helped teach her daughter how to lip-read and speak, but they also learned sign language.

Ryan served as an interpreter at Mass for her daughter and others who had hearing impairments, beginning in the late 90s. Soon, the whole congregation was using sign language for the “Allelulia” with her.

She shared her faith in other ways, too, participating in parish programs such as Nazareth, Alpha, bereavement ministry and youth ministry.

“She was always looking to grow her faith and help those around her with their journey in life,” her children wrote in a memorial. “While always working on her own relationship with God, she also had a unique way of bringing others closer to God as well, which brought her so much joy.”

“She was extremely beloved here,” said Father Mark Nolte, pastor of St. Gerald. “I think the main thing about her was just her joy. She was always smiling, even in her battle with cancer. … She never stopped being a joyful witness, always offering her suffering up for her children and others. She’ll be extremely missed for sure.”

Her survivors include her children: Scott Ryan; Katie Koch and her husband, Dustin, of Council Bluffs, Iowa; and John Ryan and his wife, Olivia, of Scottsdale, Arizona.

Their mother “will be most remembered by her deep faith, boundless energy and positivity and her unwavering commitment to God, family and friends,” they wrote.

Emily Ryan was born in Portsmouth, Iowa, to John and Rita Ohlinger, the fourth of 10 children.

The family later moved to Harlan, Iowa, where Ryan graduated from high school in 1968. From there she went to College of Saint Mary in Omaha, where she graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in English.

After college Ryan became part of a mission group that served in places like Papua New Guinea, India and Uganda.

After getting married, she and her late husband, Tim, lived in South Korea, where he was stationed in the military. Ryan taught English there.

When they moved back to the United States, Ryan taught English for several years at Marian High School in Omaha.