Don Ryan not only “knew everyone on 17th Street,” as his friend John Melby said, but he cut the hair of thousands of people over decades of barbering downtown.
Ryan died July 14 at age 93 at his Wheat Ridge home.
Ryan first owned the Kenmark Barber Shop at 17th and Welton streets downtown, said his wife, Mary Ryan.
Though his customers came from every walk of life, he had some high-profile clients: Gov. Dan Thornton, U.S. Sen. Peter Dominick, Gov. Steve McNichols and Denver Mayor Will Nicholson, all of whom are deceased; and Vince Boryla, a real-estate developer and former Denver Nuggets general manager.
“He gave me my first haircut in Denver in 1947,” Boryla said. “I always went to him.”
Melby, a geologist, started out with Ryan in 1967 and now goes to Ryan’s nephew, Jerry Middleton. Middleton and Ryan were in partnership for years.
Ryan “was interested in everything and everyone’s story,” said his daughter, Eileen Odle of Littleton. “He had tons of friends who were his customers. He had a shy, crazy little smile.”
“He was a huge, gentle guy, level-headed and someone who didn’t say a hell of a lot,” said customer Ned High.
Politics and business were the main topics of conversation in the barbershops, Middleton said.
“My uncle was a big-time Republican, but we’d let in a few token Democrats,” he said, laughing. There were no fights over politics, “just once in awhile some harsh words.”
Ryan had the Kenmark from 1947 to 1963, when he and his nephew opened the Red Carpet Barber Shop, across 17th Street from the Brown Palace Hotel.
“That building was torn down in 1980,” said Middleton, and his uncle opened a barbershop near Duffy’s Shamrock Restaurant on Court Place and stayed there until 1986.
In addition to barbering, Ryan loved farming. He had a small farm near Wiggins, where he raised corn.
He also bought, fixed up and sold houses. “He’d just drive around and find a house, buy it and fix it up,” Middleton said.
Donald D. Ryan was born in Park, Kan., on Nov. 21, 1914, and moved to Colorado with his family when he was 18.
He and his wife married in August 1947. They met through mutual friends.
In addition to his wife and daughter, he is survived by two other daughters, Barbara McGuire of Centennial and Patricia Webb of Lakewood; two sons, Don Ryan of Wheat Ridge and Thomas Ryan of Denver; and 11 grandchildren.
Virginia Culver: 303-954-1223 or vculver@denverpost.com
