Anna “GG” Ryman

On September 21, 1925, Samuel and Myrtle Smith welcomed their first daughter Anna Mae Ryman into the world in Locust Grove, Maryland.  Anna grew up in that area along with her three siblings Sam, Bob and June.  When Anna was in her early twenties she married Roy Ryman and together they had two children Linda Ryman Leavitt and Alan Ryman. Anna worked for many years as a manager for 7-11 Southland Corporation in the local Virginia area.  In 1980 she decided that getting old wasn’t necessary a bad thing and retired to help raise her grandchildren along with traveling the world with her children and the Blue Birds Tours.  Anna went to Alaska, Hawaii and the Caribbean islands along with other small trips around the United States. Anna was a proud member of her community.  She attended daily the Prince William County Senior Center for nearly 30 years and served on their counsel for many of those earlier years.  Her grandchildren remember her always having odd duties at the Senior Center, mainly because they had to help, like filling up the vending machine in the snack room.  Her hobbies there included traveling, ceramics, painting, quilting, bingo and of course playing cards with her friends.  She was also a long-time resident at Marywood Apartments and worked as a receptionist there for a few years.   Anna for the past 3 decades spent her free time attending her grandchildren and great grandchildren’s events.  Not only did she make sure they got to dance practices and piano lessons she attended the long drawn out recitals.  When she became a great grandmother in 1999 the name “GG” was given to her by her family and it stuck.   Blood or not, there was never a person who didn’t feel like part of the family in the presence of Anna.  Every holiday, she had gifts for everyone.  She was always excited to see anyone that came in her path and worried with genuine concern for those she thought about. Anna Loved the Lord and served him until her last days.  Anna will be remembered, loved and greatly missed by her family and friends but they rest easy knowing she is in the hands of her creator and we will see her again.