Richard Charles Ryder, M.D.

The life of Dr. Richard Charles Ryder

As Dr. Richard Charles Ryder’s last day here on Earth with us drew to a close and the arms of our Heavenly Savior were opening to receive him, his wife Doris Johannessen Ryder of 60 years whispered to him. “We kept our promise of friendship Richard, we kept our vow that we made all those years ago”. Wise and full of interest in this amazing world, Dr. Richard Charles Ryder went home to our Savior on February 22, 2020 surrounded by family.

After his passing Doris again whispered, “you know daughter, he wasn’t only wonderful to me, but he was wonderful to everyone around him”. Those words spoken by his beloved wife begin to capture the essence of the man, the father, the grandfather and the great grandfather of the Ryder family.

Born, he would say, at not such a great time it was July 12, 1931 and at the height of the great Depression. He would entertain us with stories of his paper routes, raising chickens behind the two-bedroom house on 51 ^st and Normandy and sleeping on the front porch so they could have it “roomer” during those lean years. In the 1940s he learned to dance at Arthur Murray’s Ballroom Dancing school because his older sister would drag him there. All the young men were off fighting World War II and she needed her kid brother to dance with! He loved people, talked to everyone, enjoyed high school at Los Angeles Manual Arts High School and was active in Dema Lei with his Dad, George Ryder, his Mom, Ethel Ryder and sister, Eleanor Ryder Casacky.

Nearly dying, as he would say, from being given to much thyroid as a young teen his interest in medicine began to peek. Mrs. Linberg, who sold vitamins and probably invented and sold the idea of protein shakes in the 40s, helped my young teenage father to health. Yep, brewer’s yeast, raw eggs and black strap molasses was the recipe and as he said, “it was enough to put a spring in your step and knock your socks off”.

Drafted during his freshmen year at UCLA he spent two years in the Korean War and was almost polished off not by bullets but by bouts of pneumonia. Back home, and glad to have survived, he would tell you he received the most wonderful thing for his service; college tuition for medical school!

A doctor he did become! A beloved doctor to the Long Beach Community and so many of us have been blessed because the Lord gave him the gift of helping to heal people. He was on the Board of Directors at St. Mary’s and was a partner in Harriman Jones Medical Group. He was a physician, he would say, during “the golden age”. A time when you made house calls and saw your patients every day until they got well. “Yep”, he would say, “I would deliver the babies, set the kid’s broken bones and nurse the aging grandmothers all under the same roof”. Sometimes when people had a hard time paying we would get a car fixed or a house painted. He always was there to help heal no matter what you could afford to pay. He also always had the most gifts under the Christmas tree (much to the dismay of his young daughters’ jealous and childish hearts!) from all his patients. He was cherished and so, so appreciated.

He and Doris raised their three daughters lovingly and joyfully. They raised them at St. Timothy’s and later Bethany Lutheran church. He raised them at Seal and Sunset Beaches and backpacking in the High Sierras. He raised them enjoying many, many Norwegian summers as well. Who can forget his glee at the invention of Boogie Boards in the 1980s to ride the waves (no more blow up canvas rafts) or the latest gadget to take up backpacking in the High Sierras? He was a lifelong learner of history, the arts, languages (French and Norwegian) and music. He was a swimmer, despite 30 years of heart disease, he would say, “oh every day I wake up I think Yippee Lord I get another day!“ He had a deep passion for music and simply loved the Long Beach Symphony and supported them since the 1970s.

In fact, he supported and gave generously to this world in so many venues we cannot recount. But we do know one thing, and that is Richard Charles Ryder always strove to fulfill the greatest commandment his precious Savior gives us, “ Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all you mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

One of my last conversations with him, we spoke about the bible verse, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”  Well Daddy; Mommy, Karen and Greg, Susan and Ron, Kimberly and Sam glorify the Father because WE have witnessed YOUR good works and we all praise our Creator for giving us such a blessed earthly Father. Until we meet again, Daddy, until we meet again.

Luyben Dilday Mortuary (562) 425-6401

Family Suggests Flowers by Cina when ordering flowers. cinasflowers.com (714) 539-8939

Donations can be made to either the Long Beach Symphony or

Bethany Lutheran Church ( https://www.simplechurchgiving.net/App/Form/7593e086-307f-4d2a-8579-7d2378002962 or send to 4644 Clark Ave., Long Beach, CA 90808.