Bridget Byrne

BRIDGET “BEA” BYRNE (nee Dowd), age 95, passed away on October 16, 2024. She was the beloved wife of the late John J. Byrne, Jr.; loving mother of John J. III (wife Raelene), Thomas F. (wife Paula), Mary Bridget Ribinskas (husband Ron), Anne Marie Fiorello (husband Joe) and Coletta Marie Welsh (husband Mike); devoted grandmother of Michelle, Jennifer, Christina Talley (husband Brian), Patrick, Kevin, Michael (Ashley Brochetti), Joe Fiorello (wife Megan), Daniel, Matthew Fiorello, Andrew Ribinskas, Alex Ribinskas (Valentina Milos), Bridget Della Pia (husband Jon-Paul), Ryan Ribinskas (Jaylah Rios), Brendan Welsh, Kaitlin Ribinskas, Michael Welsh, Jr., Thomas Welsh, Seamus Welsh, Danielle McKinley (husband Jeff), Nicole Langford (husband Nate) and great-grandmother of 14; cherished daughter of the late Thomas and Bridget Dowd; preceded in death by one sister and four brothers in Ireland; dear aunt and great aunt (Aunt Bea) of many. 

Ireland was Bridget’s homeland. She was born in Cuilmore, Gurteen, Co. Sligo, Ireland on September 2, 1929, to Thomas and Bridget Dowd. At the young age of seventeen, Bridget boarded a ship that took her to the US where she resided in Boston with her aunt. She eventually found her way and settled in Cleveland Ohio where she became employed as a keypunch operator at the East Ohio Gas Co. While working at East Ohio, she met the love of her life, John Byrne, Jr.. The two were married and raised their five children in South Euclid, Ohio. Faith and Family were always their utmost importance. They passed this down to their children. Bridget was a woman of strong faith and had a great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. She was a member of both St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church and Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish and loved spending time at Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine. She loved spreading her devotion of the Miraculous Medal of Mary to all to bring comfort and peace. Bridget was also very proud of her Irish Heritage. She was an active member of the Eastside Irish American Club for years and always enjoyed Irish music and dancing. She enjoyed traveling to the many Irish Feis’s to watch her children dance. Bridget’s whole life was dedicated to her family. Her family was the number one highlight of her life. She loved the time she spent with her children, grandchildren, and great children whether it was walks around the block, watching their sporting events, celebrating birthdays, playing Trouble or treating everyone to dinner. She found so much joy in babysitting her grandchildren. Bridget will be forever remembered for her most tender smile, devout faith in God, and her constant love and kindness to others. Bridget will be deeply missed as she was the BEST to all her family.

The family extends a very Special Thank You to the nurses and caregivers at Aria Assisted Living – her second family - for their kind attention, compassion, and care given to Bridget.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Bridget’s memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 https://www.stjude.org or to Cleveland Clinic Cancer Research at https://velosano.org/ or Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine, 21281 Chardon Rd. Euclid, OH 44117. 

Mass of Christian Burial Thursday, October 24, 2024 at 9:30 AM at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish at 1545 S. Green Road, South Euclid, Ohio. Burial following at All Souls Cemetery. Family will receive friends to pay tribute to and celebrate the life of Bridget at THE DeJOHN-FLYNN-MYLOTT FUNERAL HOME OF SOUTH EUCLID, 4600 MAYFIELD RD. (just east of Green Rd.) WEDNESDAY 3-8PM.