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| Eleanor Ryan Curtin |
MADISON — Papal award recipient Eleanor Ryan Curtin, 93, of Madison died on Monday, Feb. 3, at home, surrounded by her family.
She was awarded the Cross Pro-Ecclesia et Pontifice by Pope John Paul II in 1997 in recognition of service to the Church in the Diocese of Madison.
Eleanor was born May 13, 1920, the daughter of Dr. Frank and Loretto (Carbery) Ryan in Chicago, Ill.
She attended high school at Loretta Academy in Chicago and went on to Chicago Teachers College and received her teaching degree in 1942.
She was a kindergarten teacher in Chicago until her marriage to William J. Curtin II in 1944 at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Chicago.
She and her husband settled in Madison. They had seven children.
She was the cofounder and president of Telephone Answering Service in Madison until the mid-1990s. She served as a past president of the Wisconsin Telephone Answering Service Association. She was the chairwoman of the board of Amtelco in McFarland from 2001 until her death.
Eleanor and Bill were founding members of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Madison.
They were very active in numerous charities in Madison as well as their personal philanthropy, including delivering toys to sick children at St. Mary’s Hospital at Christmas time and donating the first computers to Edgewood High School as well as all parochial schools in Madison. Eleanor for the past few years focused on helping fund the Catholic Multicultural Center.
Eleanor was preceded in death by her husband Bill, son Joe, and one granddaughter.
Eleanor is survived by her children: Laurie (Bernie) Torvik, Bill (Debbie) Curtin, Betty (Ed) Gurza, Tom (Mary) Curtin, Nora (Jeff) Farber, and Peggy Curtin; 19 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Madison, on Tuesday, Feb. 11, with Msgr. Ken Fiedler, Msgr. Mike Hippee, and Fr. Bill Connell presiding. A wake will be held at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church on Monday, Feb. 10, from 5 to 8 p.m. There will also be a visitation from 10 to 11a.m. before the Mass on February 11.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Queen of Peace Endowment Fund or the Catholic Multicultural Center.
To view and sign a guestbook, visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com