Lilian Ryan Block

Mrs. Lilian R. Block was born into tumult within the “Bells of Bow” in eastend London, England, on July 20, 1920. She died in peace on July 10, 2016, just miles from her Riviera home overlooking the city of Santa Barbara, California, and the Santa Barbara Channel and Coastline. Born a member of the “lost” generation, she died a member of the “greatest” generation having experienced the balm of the American dream after the ravages of WWI and WWII. Mom was the first born of the blended family of Maud and John (Jack) Ryan, a family already consisting of 3 sisters Mary, Liz, and Clara. Her own sister Doreen and brothers, John, George and Ron soon followed. As her family life gave way to her young adulthood and especially to her conscription to serve at home during WWII, she met and married the love of her life “Pathfinder” B-17 U.S. Army Air Corps Master Technical Sergeant Harold C. Block, son of Henry and Emma Block of Milwaukie, Oregon. In May, 1946, after the war’s end, she and her now 6-month old son Jim boarded the Queen Mary for New York and reunification with her husband and his stateside family in the Milwaukie/Portland area. Mom arrived in Oregon raw from the aftermath of WWI, the worldwide Great Depression, the run up to World War II, the Blitzkrieg of London and life in bomb cellars, the mass destruction of her neighborhood, and especially the loss of her brother John with the London Irish Rifles Battalion in the ’43 Italian campaign. She was young and virtually alone having left her own family to join a family whom she had never met. But most of all she was new to America in so many ways—a young mother, wife, and family member integrating into a small, suburban American town instead of bombed out inner-city, London. They say that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Over the next 50 years in Oregon, Mom did exactly that to bravely and successfully carve out a new life. She and Harold had another son Bill in ‘47 and bought and remodeled a small house in Oak Grove, Oregon, to raise their sons. They got godparents Lil and Tony Burkhartsmeier for their boys and began actively making friends of neighbors and co-workers across the front and backyard fences and throughout the community, especially through the Oak Grove Elementary School community. When both boys were in school, Mom then traveled to find a starter job in downtown Portland at J.K. Gills. She soon left Gills for a better job at Katzan Watch and Jewelry, where she rose to become Office Manager during her 30-year career. With dual incomes, she and Dad now became entrepreneurial and bought the Bon Ton Deli in Portland. They also wisely invested in a run down property along Kellogg Creek in Milwaukie and self-built their dream home. Mom remained in this home into the 80’s when its upkeep became too much, so she moved to Concord Terrace. After 50 years in the Milwaukie/Oak Grove/Concord area, she then pulled up stakes one more time and decamped in ‘96 for Santa Barbara, California, to live with her sole Jim and new grandson Bill. Mom’s Oregon life was especially not all milk and honey, however. It was repeatedly marred by the deaths, too often premature ones, both in Oregon and overseas. Over in England, her father Jack, died a few years after Mom left for America; her sister Mary died, too, in the late ‘50s; and her mother Maud died in ’74. While in Oregon, her mother in law Emma died in ‘67 over stress from her great grandson Bill’s drafting into the Army. Bill, in turn, was killed at the age of 21 during the ‘68 Tet Offensive in Vietnam. Even Mom’s husband Harold died young at the age of 61 in 1980, leading directly to the death of Mom’s beloved father in law Henry just months later. Increasingly alone again especially in Oregon, Mom met all these deaths with steadfast loyalty to her existing friends and family, an incredible openness to new people, places, and experiences, and the same kind of courage to explore and grow she had mustered before, during, and after WWII. She criss-crossed the world repeatedly by boat and plane, usually with her old friends Dorothy Keene, Jane Roys, or Betty Mitchell. Part of that travel brought her back in contact with her still living English brothers and sisters and with her nieces and nephews. She also regularly vacationed in Las Vegas and Santa Barbara, learned to love professional baseball (St. Louis Cardinals), basketball (Trailblazers), and college football (Oregon Ducks), and enjoyed attending concerts (Elvis, Tom Jones, Tony Bennett), taking in local and professional theater (Yul Brenner), and eating fine food and drinking wine (especially her daily tot of Beringer White Zinfandel). She took up American presidential politics, loving Ronald Reagan and even getting a private tour of his Western White House while he was still in office. Despite or, better yet, because of her many life trials and tribulations, Mom remained incredibly kind and upbeat. As her old family and friends passed, she remained in close contact with the folks who were still alive and added significant extended family members and friends and acquaintances. Even when she finally moved to Santa Barbara, folks like her “adopted son” John Parry, nephew Del Block, Nell Curl, Jan Haberman, and Jean Sullivan kept her apprised of doings in Oregon, while new dear friends Norma Lytle and Evelyn Hodson did the same in Santa Barbara. Yes, Mom came to America a Ryan—raw, young, alone and new and left a Block –brave, loyal, open, courageous, and kind. All the way in this transformation, Mom was imbued with a spiritual strength captured by the first part of a prayer she tacked to her Santa Barbara bedroom door and passed every morning until her passing -- the Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971): God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference. God did grant Mom that serenity in life and death. A beautiful visitation for her was held at the McDermott Crockett Mortuary shortly after her passing. She was then interred beside her son Bill and her husband Harold at a touching funeral service at Wilhelm’s Portland Memorial in West Moreland. Her crypt overlooks the Willamette River and is perpetually bathed in light. From there she can see out and up to forever. Rest in peace, Great Lady! Mom is survived by sister in law Molly Ryan (George) and by nieces and nephews Derek Casey (Linda), Sheila Howell, Carol Alexander (John), Graham Davison (Nicola), Sumrieng (Toy) Clayton, and John Clayton in England; by son Dr. Jim Block, grandson Bill Block, and ”adopted son” Dr. Loy Lytle in Santa Barbara; and by “adopted son” John Parry (Nancy), godson Jimmy John Parry, and nephew Delbert Block in the Portland, Oregon, area and niece Lynn Larsen in the Vancouver, Washington, area. The family expresses our special thanks to our superb team of caregivers assembled by Leticia Perez, particularly to Nereyda De Sixtos, Selene Pineda, and Ana Aparicio. We also thank Dr. Rujala and the staff of Assisted Home Hospice Care, especially RN Marianne Wohler, RN Lynn Doetch, and LVN Heather Trahan. Finally, we tip our hat to Dr. Joseph Frawley and his staff, particularly RN Julie Scott, for Mom’s healthcare care since her Santa Barbara arrival. Service Information