William Joseph Ryan, Jr., of Harleysville, formerly of North Wales, beloved husband of Anne Sleath Ryan for 36 years, passed away on July 20, 2026, after a long illness.

In addition to his parents, Rose and Joe Ryan, and his brother Robert, Bill was preceded in death by his grandsons Ryan Robbins and Aiden Drobnick.

Bill was part-owner of Ryan's Beverage of North Wales for many years. He worked for 39 years at Merck & Co., Inc. in West Point, PA retiring in January 2000 as group leader of the Distribution Center. He had many jobs at Merck including working in Sucrets, Security and the Distribution Center.

Bill graduated in the first class from North Penn High School in 1956, transferring from Lansdale Catholic High School. He played football for both schools. He then continued playing football at St. Francis Prep for one year. From there he received a full scholarship to play football at Villanova University in 1958 where he suffered a career-ending injury in his freshman year. After that, he enjoyed playing golf, winning over 30 trophies which were given to his cherished grandchildren. Bill had the distinction of having 5 holes-in-one from various golf courses.

Bill loved spending time with his family and friends and in addition to his wife, Bill will be missed by his children: Sharon Owens, husband David and grandsons Shane and Zachary; Timothy Ryan, wife Greta and grandsons Christopher, Colton and Dillon; Patricia Robbins and grandchildren Kalihia, Emma, John and Liam; William Ryan, wife Marcie and grandchildren Griffin, Tia and Rylee; step-son Joshua Drobnick and grandsons Samuel and Matthew and step-daughter Jennie Jonas, husband Kyle and grandson Landon. He is also survived by many dear and cherished nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

A funeral service for Bill will take place at 11:00 AM on Saturday August 1, 2026, at Heidelberg United Church of Christ, 251 Perkiomen Avenue, Schwenksville, PA 19473, where the family will greet guests from 10:00 – 10:45 AM.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Bill's name may be made to charity of donor's choice.

Burial will be private at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Philadelphia at the convenience of his family.