Dallas M. Ryle, Jr.

Dallas Marlin Ryle, Jr., passed away peacefully at his home on March 30, 2017 after a long illness, surrounded by his loving family. Born in Marietta, Georgia on September 18, 1927 to Cecile Watson Ryle and Dallas M. Ryle, he grew up in Perry, Georgia. After graduating from Perry High School, he attended North Georgia College for a year and a half, and then entered Georgia Tech, before serving in the U.S. Army. (World War II had just ended, and he often joked about the “sacrifice” of his army service, most of which was in Honolulu, where as a young private he typed at the Officers Club at Fort Shafter and enjoyed Waikiki Beach.) After his army duty, he returned to Georgia Tech, where he joined the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and graduated in 1949 with a BS in Aeronautical Engineering and earned a master’s degree in 1950. In 1951 he married Nancy Elizabeth Dendy in Orlando, Florida. The couple lived for two years in Fort Worth, Texas, where he worked for Convair Aircraft Company, then happily moved back to Georgia in 1953 after Lockheed opened its Marietta plant. In his engineering career at Lockheed-Georgia, Dallas worked in the Flight Sciences and Advanced Design groups as an aerodynamics engineer and in management positions, and worked on every airplane that the company produced from 1953 until he retired in 1991 as Vice-President of Engineering. He was especially proud of his contributions to the C-130 Hercules and C-5 Galaxy airplanes. He received numerous awards and was honored three times with an “Honor Roll of Inventors” certificate from Lockheed-Georgia for three of his airplane designs, which were registered with the U.S. Patent Office. He attended management programs at Emory University, University of Virginia, and Columbia University. He was a lifelong and active member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Throughout the years, as a lifelong Christian, Dallas served his church and community. He was a board member in the early days of Cobb Landmarks, served on the board of the Cobb Symposium, was an active member of the Marietta Rotary Club and the Marietta Country Club, and was chairman of the Cobb Beautification Committee (the forerunner of the Cobb Beautification Commission). He was a devoted member of his church, Marietta First Baptist, where he taught high school and adult Sunday School classes for many years, chaired various church committees, was an advisor to the Youth Council, served three times as Chairman of the Deacons, and was honored as a lifetime Deacon. His special interests included gardening, music, reading, golf, travel, arrowhead hunting, Atlanta Braves baseball, and Georgia Tech sports. He had deep concern for those in need, and as chairman of the MFB Missions Committee, he brought together the pastors of six downtown Marietta Churches, who formed a coalition to remodel and furnish a house (donated by city councilman Paul Fields) for extended stay by homeless families. Volunteers from churches and civic groups throughout Cobb joined in this effort, and for several years the Good Samaritan House on Page Street sheltered many families until MUST Ministries was able to take over this needed ministry. Closest to his heart was Dallas’s love of his family, as a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, and of his many friends he enjoyed with two supper clubs, golf foursomes, fishing buddies, and poker club (low stakes but great companionships)....all for over sixty years. He is survived by Nancy, his wife of sixty-five years; children, Dixie Minor (Ken), Patty Ryle, Dallas Ryle III, Katie Vanderbogart (Guy), Stephen Ryle (Cathy); grandsons, Ben Minor, Hank Clay (Hayley), and Sam Clay (Sara); great granddaughter Caroline; brother Sam Ryle (Patricia); nephew David Dendy (Julie); nieces, Jo Moreno (Alexis), Anne White (Justin), and Mary Jo Dendy. He was pre-deceased by his grandson Gary Minor. A memorial service will be held at Marietta First Baptist Church on Monday, April 3, at 4:00 pm with reception to follow in the church fellowship hall. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Marietta First Baptist Church (148 Church Street, Marietta, GA 30060, mariettafbc.org) or Children’s Restoration Network (11285 Elkins Road, Suite C-4, Roswell, GA 30076, childrn.org). Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home in Marietta is handling the arrangements. www.mayeswarddobbins.com 770-428-1511

Dallas M. Ryle, Jr.

September 18, 1927 - March 30, 2017