Rep. Kevin Ryan, a Montville Democrat who served in the state House of Representatives through the tenures of five governors and found redemption after a mid-career struggle with alcohol, died Sunday night, two days after entering hospice care in West Hartford. Ryan was 73.

House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, confirmed the death of Ryan, who had been in treatment for cancer. Ryan had made no public disclosure about his illness and was relatively circumspect with many colleagues and staff, finally consenting to a steady stream of visitors.

Ritter and his father, former House Speaker Thomas D. Ritter, visited Ryan on Sunday. The elder Ritter was elected speaker by the class of lawmakers elected in 1992, Ryan among them. At his death, Ryan was serving the younger Ritter as a deputy speaker. 

Ryan was elected in 1992 from the 139th House District of Ledyard, Montville and Norwich, a year after the tumultuous 1991 session that produced the state income tax under the leadership of a third-party governor, Lowell P. Weicker Jr.

He arrived in Hartford with a multiple degrees from Villanova and a doctorate in optometry from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. He had a keen sense for detail that made him valued as a bill screener. He later earned a master’s degree in community psychology from the University of New Haven.

But he also had a blue-collar sensibility and affinity for working-class struggles and served for eight years as the co-chair of the Labor and Public Employees Committee.

“He and his father worked for a living, delivering wholesale groceries throughout New England,” said Michael Caron, a former Republican House member. “He was a man of faith, integrity, resilience and redemption.”

“Kevin never failed to stand up for the working families of our state, helping to shape Connecticut’s public health and labor laws,” said Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, who served with Ryan in the House. “And, whether it was by educating our college students in his day job or entertaining my own children when they visited the legislature, Kevin was deeply committed to enriching the lives of our youngest residents.”

Ryan had taught physics at the University of New Haven.

Growing up with a father who ran his own business was a lasting influence, Ryan said in a profile published by the Council of State Governments, a group he led last year.

“It reflects in a lot of my decisions,” Ryan said. “I keep in mind the small business owner since that’s who I’m most familiar with, and really recognizing [that] a lot of people consider business owners to be honest. A lot of them are very hardworking individuals who are just trying to be able to pay their bills and take care of their families.” 

The legislature became family to Ryan, who was unmarried. Ryan would be a frequent holiday dinner guest at Caron’s home. He was godfather to Caron’s son.

As he ended the first of his three decades in the House, Ryan’s struggles with alcohol became public. He was sentenced to 120 days in prison in 2001 after a third conviction for driving under the influence. He promised to respond to constituents from prison.

“I have always taken great pride in providing service to the good people of the 139th District and that will continue during my absence,” he said then.

Friends rallied around him. Ryan entered rehab, and Caron said his friend had no further troubles with alcohol. His political rehab was similarly successful: Ryan easily was reelected in 2022, winning by 1,000 votes.

“He would not let it define who he was,” Caron said. “He never had another problem. He did his penance.”

Ryan had a sarcastic sense of humor, evident to anyone who passed his desk on the aisle in the House.

“If he didn’t jab, he didn’t like you,” Caron said.

Ritter described Ryan as someone who spoke bluntly in private yet viewed himself as a team player.

“He told you what he was thinking,” Ritter said. “For all his fierce independence, Kevin was loyal at the end of the day.”

House Minority Leader Vincent J. Candelora, R-North Branford, said Ryan was respected as a lawmaker nationally.

“Kevin dedicated himself to public service and to the people of Connecticut, and he made a difference around the country by working on policies with national impact—a fact illustrated by a moment of silence this morning at the State Government Affairs Council conference I’m attending,'” Candelora said.

Funeral arrangements were incomplete. A service is expected after the Thanksgiving holiday.

The state flag over the state Capitol was lowered to half-staff Monday at the order of Gov. Ned Lamont.

“He loved public service and was always ready and willing to listen to the views of the people he represented and take action to support their interests,” Lamont said. “Throughout my tenure as governor, Kevin has been one of the friendliest legislators that I’ve had the opportunity to work with, and I am going to miss his clever, sharp and humorous personality.”

Ryan missed the special session in November, but he served throughout the annual session that ended at midnight June 4. He cast a vote at 11:52 p.m., the final act of the House in its 2025 regular session.

Ritter and House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, noted in a joint statement that Ryan “took great pride in being the only person in the building who pronounced Norwich correctly.”

In Ryan’s view, there was no R in the city’s name.

“The Capitol will feel emptier without him,” they said, “but the impact he made on his community, on this institution, and on each of us will endure.”