Overview

• George Ryan, who served as Illinois governor from 1999 to 2003, passed away last week at age 91 after a brief stay in hospice care.
• A funeral service was held Thursday, May 8, at Asbury United Methodist Church in Kankakee, following a private burial earlier in the day.
• Ryan's political career spanned four decades, including roles as House Speaker, lieutenant governor, and Secretary of State before becoming governor.
• He is best remembered for his 2003 moratorium on the death penalty, a decision that influenced Illinois' eventual abolition of capital punishment in 2011.
• Ryan's legacy also includes a 2007 federal corruption conviction tied to a bribery scheme, for which he served over five years in prison before his release in 2013.