Dean M. Ryder

Dean Middleton Ryder passed away at Yale New Haven Hospital on June 17, 2021 following a brief and unexpected illness. Her daughter Lisa was at her side.  

Dean was the proud mother of four children. She spent her adult life caring for her disabled son, Jeffrey, and overseeing the care of her severely disabled sons, Gary and Todd.  Dean faced extraordinary adversity with beauty and grace. Unfailingly poised, elegant in all circumstances, kind, generous, and forgiving, she found space in her words and deeds for all sorts and conditions of humankind. Her surviving family remain committed to carrying her rare and special gifts forwards. For more than twenty years she was simply “Mémé” to her granddaughters, Ariel, Freya, and Heloise, for whom she was ever present as a role model of compassion, elegance, and determination. She dressed for every occasion, put her best face forward every day, and was always in search of the perfect gift for those she loved.

Dean is survived by a loving family: her sons Todd Page, of Waterbury, CT and Gardiner (Gary) Page, of Newington, CT; her daughter Elizabeth (Lisa) Page, Ariel, Freya, and Heloise Bampton (Grandchildren), and Matthew Bampton (son in law), all of Portland, Maine. She is predeceased by her son Jeffrey Page and her second husband, Bill Ryder.

Family and friends may visit Keenan Funeral Home, 330 Notch Hill Road, North Branford on Friday, June 25, 2021 from 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. with a Funeral Service at 6:00 p.m.  

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