Andree Ryan Granlund was born October 7, 1920. She resided in a brown stone house in the heart of New York City. Her parents came to America from France and worked hard to provide for three children, Andree and her brothers Rene and Alphonse. They left the city to pursue a better life out in the country side of Elmont, Long Island. George, her father got a truck and sold vegetables. Many times Andree was his assistant yelling “Get your fresh vegetables today!” Tragedy struck the family after three weeks of moving. Rene, eight years old, was killed by a truck on his bicycle, which a friend had helped him to climb over the yard fencing. Augustine, Andree’s mother, continued to do homework, which she traveled each week to New York City to get while making clothes. George had been suffering with asthma and succumbed to the disease after years of coping with his illness.
Survival was on going for Andree and her family, their love continued to keep them going. Andree graduated from Sewanhaka High School in 1939.
She dated and soon married John E. Ryan Jr. and shortly after, gave birth to her only child and daughter, Renee on February 21, 1941. They loved to dance and John sang in night clubs. They were the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers on the dance floor. John was drafted into the Army during WWII, returning when Renee was five years old. Andree had a 25 year career in retail working for Lerner Shops Clothing store. Andree moved to Arizona four months after Renee with her mother and brother. John passed away of cancer two years later. They were married for 33 years. After 12 years as a widow, she met and married Lawrence Granlund and was married for 13 years, when Larry passed away. Mom got her driver’s license and worked for ten years for the Mesa Public Schools in the cafeteria as a cashier. Upon losing her mother and later brother, she retired again and started exercise classes at Red Mountain Generational Center. She attended classes and volunteered in the gift shop for a total of 21 years. She was the “card lady” as many called her and she crocheted many, many dish clothes for the shop to sell.
She was loved and adored by her family and all her knew her. When Andree passed away March 8, 2020, she was preceded in death by her parents George and Augustine Lazare; her brothers Rene Lazare, and Alphonse Lazare; and sister Leontine Hue. She is survived by her daughter; Renee and husband Jim (who she called “son”), grandsons; Kevin (Jennifer) and Thomas (Jessica), great-grandsons; Henry, Theodore and Finnley.
Services for Andree will be Monday March 16, 2020 at Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery, 7900 E. Main St., Mesa, AZ. There will be a visitation beginning at 8:30 am, with the Celebration of Andree’s Life at 10:00 am. Donations may be made in Andree’s name, a longtime member of Christ the King Catholic Church of Mesa, AZ, to the St. Vincent de Paul Society at Christ the King Catholic Church, 1551 E Dana Ave, Mesa, AZ 85204.
Those who met her left with a smile and a hug from Andree. She talked with everyone and left them her most priceless gift, her smile!