Ryan, Dominic Hugh
- March 25, 2026
October 20, 1960 – March 25, 2026
Dominic passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, at Lakeshore General Hospital, after an illness. Beloved and loving husband of 40 years to Janet, father to Stephen (Amanda O’Farrell) and Miriam. He also leaves to mourn his brothers Anthony (Patty) and Declan, his sister Marie-Therese, and his brothers-in-law Robert and Ken Wolfe.
Visitation will be at Voluntas Funeral Home, 4695 boul. St-Jean, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, H9H 2A7 on April 6th from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. A funeral celebration will be held at St. Edmund of Canterbury Church (105 Beaconsfield Blvd, Beaconsfield) on April 7th at 11 a.m., followed by a reception in the church hall.
Dominic was a Professor of Physics at McGill University for almost four decades. He was also passionate about flying his Cessna 172, in which he and Janet made many trips.
Instead of flowers, donations may be made to the Lakeshore General Hospital Foundation in his memory.
“Peace at the last.”
Ross Thomson
March 31, 2026 at 5:13 pmPlease accept my condolences on the loss of Dominic. I had the privilege of working with him during my PhD. He brought a wonderful energy and dedication to his work that left a lasting impression on everyone around him. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones.
Anthony Saroli
April 1, 2026 at 6:44 amJanet, Stephen and Miriam… our sincerest condolences on the loss of your husband and father. I had the priviledge of knowing Dominic for over 40 years; together as our families were members of St. Edmund’s Chruch. I espacially enjoyed his quick Irish sense of humour. He was an upstanding man and faithful to the Lord, his family, and all who had the fortune to have met him. He will forever be missed. Pat & Tony Saroli
Charles Gale
April 1, 2026 at 8:51 amI was a colleague of Domenic’s at McGill and have known him for all of his career. His sudden departure leaves a gaping hole in our department; his warm presence and his wicked sense of humour will be sorely missed. My sincere condolences to all family members and friends
Kartiek Agarwal
April 1, 2026 at 12:03 pmDominic was my next door neighbor in the McGill physics building. We often talked about the West Island and his passion for flying. He had a characteristic British sense of humor, which was great to have around. He always spoke very fondly of his family. Sad to hear this news. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.
Teresa Rochon
April 1, 2026 at 1:38 pmDear Janet,
I am so deeply sorry for your loss. My heart goes out to you during this incredibly difficult time. You always spoke of him with such love and kindness. I’m sure his presence will never be forgotten.
May you find comfort in the memories you shared together and strength in the love that surrounds you. Please know that you are not alone—my thoughts are with you.
With deepest sympathy.
Nathalie Schwartz
April 1, 2026 at 5:07 pmBonjour Janet and Miriam,
I would like to express my deepest sympathies for your loss. Wishing you much courage and strength to help you through this difficult time.
With warm thoughts and regards.
Sean & Deb Cadogan
April 2, 2026 at 8:41 amI first met Dominic at Trinity College, Dublin, 42 years ago. I vividly remember a whirlwind of enthusiasm and action, blessed with a luxuriant head of red hair and beard. We hit it off immediately and Dominic and I continued to work together after Dominic moved to Canada and I returned to Australia. We published over 100 research papers together. Even now, 42 years down the track, we have a paper in the pipeline. I can honestly say that EVERY one of our joint ventures was fun. Dominic was great to have in the lab — he always made things happen, usually with his trademark “wicked sense of humour”, to quote from Charles’s post above. Dominic hosted me at McGill during several sabbatical visits which were always fun and productive. Who else would think of hosting an Australia Day (Jan. 26) BBQ in the middle of a Montreal Winter ? He even arranged for me to have a uniquely Canadian experience during my first trip to Chalk River —digging our car out of a snowbank during a blizzard. I fondly remember Dominic’s sabbatical year spent with me in Sydney. Great days indeed ! Dominic and I met regularly at conferences or experiments at major facilities and these were always eagerly anticipated; a guaranteed good time. I will miss my mate !
Deb and I send our very best wishes to Janet, Stephen and Miriam at this very painful time.
Kiyonori Suzuki
April 3, 2026 at 6:22 amI am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dominic. I had the pleasure of meeting him in the mid 1990s when he visited my PhD supervisor, Sean. As a PhD student at the time, I clearly remember working with him, especially building a melt-spinner using a small electric motor from a sawing machine ! It was both inventive and great fun; it reflected his hands-on spirit and enthusiasm for experimental research. My sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. Prof. Dominic Ryan will be remembered with respect.
David Rowe
April 3, 2026 at 9:42 amOn behalf of the Rowe family in Ireland and further afield we wish to express our sincere condolences to Janet and family. We are very sorry to hear of Dominic’s passing and you are in our thoughts
Sidney Omelon from Materials Engineering
April 3, 2026 at 9:37 pmIt does not feel real to send my deepest condolences to Dominic’s family and communities. From the moment he strolled into the lab with remarkable sparkles in his eyes while he searched for the new x-ray diffractometer, Dominic was an unexpected, important, inspirational, and intensely helpful influence. In exchange for his “friends and family” measurement discount, he rallied a colleague to take it apart to repair it with him, all with natural joy and skill. His ever-appreciated advice on all matters academic was delivered with positivity, clarity, and great wit. There was not a conversation without a laugh. His early departure is an intense and deeply-felt tragedy. Dominic will be missed so much!
Wayne Wood
April 4, 2026 at 12:43 pmMy sincere condolences to the family and friends of Dominic. I had the pleasure of knowing him for several decades at McGill. He was ever supportive of me and my colleagues in Environmental Health and Safety and went to bat for us on many occasions. He will surely be missed.
Jacqueline Allan
April 4, 2026 at 4:40 pmI am still reeling from the shock of Dominic’s untimely passing.
At the start of the 1980s, we were both students in the Physics Department in Trinity College Dublin. Our paths diverged when he moved to Canada, but we kept in touch over the years and miles.
I will be forever grateful that Dominic transmitted to me his love of flying, which became a shared passion – despite any bad weather, mechanical failures, hypoxia, travel sickness (his!), tea withdrawal symptoms (mine!), distance, navigation errors or spiral dives.
With his warmth, sense of humour, and enthusiasm for life, I will remember him always as a generous and caring friend right to the end of his days.
Dominic, my dear friend, you will be very sorely missed and forever gratefully and fondly remembered.
My deepest condolences to Janet, Stephen, Miriam and all of Dominic’s family. My heart goes out to you. May he rest in peace.
HIGH FLIGHT
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .
Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untresspassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
— John Gillespie Magee, Jr. (1922 — 1941)
François Audette, president of the Valleyfield Aeroclub
April 4, 2026 at 6:47 pmOn behalf of the executive committee of the Valleyfield Aeroclub, I send you my deepest condolences. Unfortunately, time spent together wasn`t as long as we would have desired but the intensity of Dominic’s involvement will be remembered by all of our members. Rest in peace dear fellow aviator. Wishing you a blue sky!
Leo Nikkinen
April 5, 2026 at 2:20 pmDominic was a colleague and friend. I had the opportunity to work with him on several projects at McGill, and in 2006 he took me for a flight in his Cessna 172 that cemented my resolve to finally get my pilot’s licence. Our hangars shared the same taxiway at Cedars airport, and we worked together to relocate them when Cedars closed. Physics is rewarding and fun but, away from McGill, his real pleasure came from flying and fully equipping his 172. He leaves behind fond memories of a person who was forthright and uncompromising in his intellectual honesty, something that it is increasingly difficult to find these days.
My sympathies to Janet, Miriam and Stephen for their loss.
Lynn Dagenais
April 5, 2026 at 3:11 pmI am so sorry to hear of Dominic’s untimely passing. I had the pleasure of speaking with both Dominic and Janet during one of their walks around the neighborhood a couple of months ago. Dominic was ever so pleasant and cheerful in spite of his recent diagnosis. Dominic was a wonderful neighbour and will be greatly missed. My heart goes out to Janet, Stephen and Miriam. Rest in peace Dominic.
John Strom-Olsen
April 6, 2026 at 11:21 amI brought Dominic to McGill as a post doctoral fellow in the mid 80s from Trinity College Dublin. He was easily the best appointment I ever made and we hit it off immediately. An outstandingly creative experimental physicist and a terrific person. He was very honest and decent person whom you could rely on 100%.. After I retired I visited him regularly. I am finding his death very hard to bear.
Vincent van Hinsberg
April 6, 2026 at 8:29 pmI first met Dominic when I started my academic journey at McGill. The Dean at the time was a theoretical physicist and he had asked Dominic to assess my needs as an experimental geochemist. Dominic performed that duty with wit, humour and brutal honesty, and in that saved me from years of building misery. As a Dutchman, I very much appreciated this directness and we hit it off straight away, and over the years collaborated on and off, mainly on Mössbauer experiments. Over the past three years, that collaboration became much more intense as we worked on a grant to bring a large new lab facility on critical metals to Montreal. Dominic was a core member of this team and his enthousiasm, contacts and instrument insights were one of the pivotal ingredients for its success. He seemed invigorated by this new adventure and we had big research plans. I was worried when he told me of his diagnosis, but he reassured me that this was just a temporary setback. I was absolutely shocked to hear of his passing. He was a great, generous and insightful colleague, but more importantly, a true fried. My deepest sympathy to his family and friends. I will miss Dominic dearly.
Joseph Vincelli
April 7, 2026 at 10:41 amDominic was a wonderful person to work. He was very engaged in his research and a delight to help him achieve his projects. I was waiting for him to retire and spend more time with him outside of McGill University. I finally agreed to take up on his offer to fly in his plane but with a parachute. This response always made him laugh. Unfortunately this will not happen and he will be missed dearly. His death will be hard to accept. My condolences to his family and friends.
Stan Roozen
April 7, 2026 at 10:08 pmI was very saddened to hear of Dominic’s passing. I had the privilege of working with him on Mössbauer measurements, and I will always remember his clarity and directness. After I once sent him a draft, he replied: “I need to replace almost everything. way too much irrelevant material.” It was exactly what I needed, he had a remarkable ability to cut through the fluff and make the work stronger. I feel fortunate to have learned from him.
My sincere condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. He will be greatly missed.
John Cashion
April 8, 2026 at 4:11 amI was very saddened to come home from holidays yesterday to get the news that Dominic was no longer with us. A brilliant scientist and always fun to be around. My condolences to his family. We will miss his occasional flying visits to Oz and MEDI meetings. His comments were always so clear – a true scholar.
Milan Maric
April 8, 2026 at 8:54 amI just heard about Dominic’s passing yesterday and I offer my deepest condolences to his family and friends. I knew Dominic from working together on our University Lab Safety Committee for several years. As pointed out in many of the comments above, Dominic had a wonderful sense of humour and it was often a highlight of many of our meetings. Together with his deep knowledge and concern for safety, it was a joy to work with him. I will miss him.
Ben Ueland
April 8, 2026 at 11:10 amMy condolences on Dominic’s passing. I had the pleasure of working with and getting to know Dominic over the past 10 years. I always looked forward to Dominic visiting Iowa State and Ames Lab. We also had great fun performing some x-ray and neutron scattering experiments together at different facilities. He will be deeply missed.
Tami Pereg-Barnea
April 8, 2026 at 4:10 pmMy condolences to Dominic’s family. Here at the McGill’s Physics department we are grieving with you.
To me Dominic was a friend and a colleague. He was always cheerful when we saw each other int he hallways or when we went out to lunch together with colleagues. He often made my day a bit lighter with his sense of humor and I will forever be grateful that. I’m sorry he left us so early and wish I had more time with him.
André-Marie Tremblay
April 9, 2026 at 8:11 pmHe was a joyful person and a colleague that left too early. I understand how hard it must be for his family and friends. My sincere condolences.
Erol GIrt
May 30, 2026 at 8:03 pmI knew Dominic for more than 35 years, first as a student and later as a colleague. Very few people do not change over such a long time, and that is part of what makes it so difficult for me to accept that he is gone. Talking with him was always easy and full of laughter. He was always excited to solve a new research puzzle and had almost unmatched scientific intuition. It was a real pleasure to have known him and learned from him. My family and I extend our deepest condolences to Janet, Stephen, and Miriam.