Mark R. Ryan

Mark Robert Ryan, age 61, passed away peacefully on Friday, June 21st after a difficult battle with esophageal cancer. He was surrounded by his family and love as he passed. Mark was born on August 23, 1957 to Robert and Margaret Ryan. He had one older brother, Michael, and an older sister who did not survive delivery. Mark grew up on the northwest side of Chicago. He attended William E. Dever Elementary School and graduated from Steinmetz High School, then attended a year of junior college. As a teenager, Mark was active in intramural football and basketball. He demonstrated a hard work ethic from a young age, beginning to work at a hardware store for Henry Burmeister at the age of 13 with his friend, Jimmy Girsch. He had a love for cars from an early age, and one of his first cars was a black 1969 Mercury Cougar.

Mark’s mother passed away in July 1984, when he was 26 years old, which was a true heartbreak. His father passed away in April 2013. Robert Ryan was a WWII veteran and landed on Omaha Beach a week after D-Day. Robert and Margaret met during the war while she was serving in the Royal Air Force, and Robert was serving in the U.S. Army. They met in London while attending a USO dance. Mark and Michael connected with their English relatives, especially Paul and Mick Waring, in the late 1980s. Michael, Mark, Paul and Mick all became extremely close and enjoyed wonderful trips, life moments and love. He always thought of his mother when cardinals came to visit at his house, as they often did early in the morning to wake him up.

Mark founded Associated Fastening Products in 1989 in his garage in Buffalo Grove. He grew the company to 25 employees at their new 25,000 square foot facility in Itasca. He had expanded the product line from standard fasteners to custom machines parts, adding many other services as well. He was a self-made man and added a second business, Integrated Packaging and Fastener, in 2001 to service the packaging hardware. He began his businesses with minimal money, and with dedication and hard work, he grew the businesses successfully until he passed. In the past 15 years, he expanded his company, outgrew their original space, and kept customer satisfaction consistently high. Both companies had quickly expanded and were a source of great pride and joy in his life. He had been a true leader to his team and will be dearly missed. In his personal life, Mark spent the last 15 years of his life with his beloved partner and fiancé, Debi Lucchetti. He loved to travel with his family, and he enjoyed spending time throughout Europe (England, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Scotland), Mexico, and the United States, especially Hawaii and California. He found great joy in visiting his family members in California, England and Canada. A great adventure for him was the trip he took with Debi and Max driving a motorhome visiting national parks out west in June 2018. He spent his free time playing golf, taking care of projects around his house, spending time with friends and family, listening to live music and cuddling with his loyal dog, Max. He played darts for 30 years with his best friend, Gloria. He loved all sports, especially golf. He was a fan of the Bears, the Cubs and the Blackhawks. Mark was a stylish man who enjoyed shopping; it was hard for him to pass a watch store without taking a quick peek. A couple of his favorite stores were Costco and Home Depot. He enjoyed collecting antique model cars and fire engines, which are displayed proudly in his office. One of his great prides was his 1992 SC 400 Lexus; Mark considered this first car his personal good luck charm. He enjoyed spending his weekends going to the movies with his little Debi and trying new restaurants.

Mark’s humor, zest for life and spirit will be remembered, celebrated and loved by his brother, Michael Ryan; his partner, Debi Lucchetti and her three children, Andrea (Michael) Gross, Allison Lucchetti (Nathan Jensen) and Amanda Lucchetti (Mike Kuenzel); and cousins, Mick and Paul Waring. He will be missed by close friends, Gloria Biard, Gerry Vasquez, Angie and Larry Brown and many loving friends, coworkers and extended family members.

Visitation for the celebration of Mark’s life will be held on Friday, June 28th at Davenport Family Funeral Home and Crematory, 941 S. Old Rand Road, Lake Zurich from 4:00pm until 8:00pm. There will be a Mass at Saint Anne Catholic Community, 120 N. Ela Street, Barrington on Saturday, June 29th at 10:00am, followed by a luncheon at Francesca’s in Barrington. In lieu of flowers, donation may be made to your local animal shelter.