Charles Edward (Ed) Ryckeley

Charles Edward (Ed) Ryckeley, age 91 of Gallatin, TN, passed away on Thursday, March 8, 2018. He was born in Columbus, GA on August 1, 1926, to John Corbally Ryckeley and Annie Howard Ryckeley. He was the youngest of seven children and talked fondly about the freedom of growing up along the Chattahoochee River, fishing and swimming. He was the former owner of Ryckeley Shoes of Hendersonville and former Co-Owner of Lonnie Young Shoes of Green Hills.
He was a member of Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church since 1970, where he taught Sunday School and served as Director of Religious Education for many years. He served in the US Navy in the Pacific Theater during WWII as a Motor Machinist Mate 3rd class, from 1944-1946.
He was an avid genealogical researcher of his family’s ancestry and did much of this work before the advent of personal computers. He was very proud of the fact that he was able to connect with his Ryckelynck relatives in France and, with their help, was able to trace the Ryckeley (Ryckelynck) line back to the late 1500’s. He and his wife Gena were able to travel several times to meet with his French cousins in northern France, and these valued friendships have meant so much to both of them and their children throughout the years.
Ed is survived by his wife of 67 years, Gena Lyle Ryckeley; his 3 children, Karen (Alan) Edmundson of Clarksville, TN; Bryan (Cheryl) Ryckeley of Gallatin, TN and Michael (Lisa) Ryckeley of Murfreesboro, TN; his grandchildren, Matthew Edmundson, Brandon Ryckeley, and Meghan Ryckeley; and many nieces and nephews.
His family will receive friends on Wednesday, March 14, from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm at Austin & Bell Funeral Home, 104 Sanders Ferry Road, Hendersonville, TN. His Celebration of Life Funeral Mass will be on Thursday, March 15, at 10:30 am at Our Lady of The Lake Catholic Church, 1729 Stop 30 Road, Hendersonville, TN. Interment will be on Thursday, March 15, at 1:00 pm at the Middle Tennessee Veterans Cemetery, 7931 McCrory Lane, Nashville, TN. Family and friends will serve as Pallbearers. Honorary Pallbearers will be the Cardiac Rehab Group.
Memorial donations may be made to the St. Jude Children’s Hospital, www.stjude.org , and the Shriners Hospitals for Children, www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org .
Services have been entrusted to Austin & Bell Funeral Home, 104 Sanders Ferry Road, Hendersonville, TN. 615-822-4442. www.austinandbell.com