Saratoga Springs, NY- James "Jim" Charles Ryan died peacefully on September 12, 2025 at the age of 85.

Born May 11, 1940, in the Woodlawn neighborhood of the Bronx, Jim carried that place in his heart all his life, calling it "the very best of all possible worlds."

Jim graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with the Class of 1962, an experience that shaped both his discipline and friendships that he carried with him throughout his life. He served as a U.S. Army officer stationed in Germany, rising to the rank of Captain, before building a successful career in finance at Equitable Assurance in New York City and Evaluation Associates in Connecticut. Eventually, he returned to the calling that had tugged at him since childhood: literature.

A lifelong reader, Jim became a writer, teacher, and mentor. He earned graduate degrees in literature from Columbia University and City College of New York, and later a Ph.D. from Warnborough University in Ireland. He taught creative writing at Columbia and American literature at universities in Istanbul, Turkey.

His writings and political essays appeared in hundreds of literary journals and newspapers. He authored books that blended history and memory, among them his memoir What Abides: West Point in Afterthought, the historic novel Shouts: The Great War Comes to the Bronx, and his final work God's Pale Horse, based on his Ph.D. dissertation on the destruction of the American Indian. His work reflected his conviction that stories — whether of cadets, communities, or cultures — carry truth across generations.

Jim was predeceased by his father, James William Ryan, mother, Margaret Carmel Ryan (Potter), his sister, Maureen Carr (Ryan), and his son, Peter Ryan. He is survived by his brother, Kevin Ryan, and by his children Rebecca Ryan Kern (Gregory), James Ryan (Karen), and Courtney Fenyo (Christopher); his grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and friends, students, and readers who will carry his words forward.

A memorial will be held on Thursday, November 13, 2025 at the Chapel at West Point at 1:30pm.

What abides are his words, his wisdom, his wit — and most of all, his kindness.

"Cast a cold eye

On life, on death.

Horseman, pass by!" — W.B. Yeats

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or to your local Hospice in Jim's honor.