RichardWanke.Com

By Denise Crosby dcrosby@stmedianetwork.com Jan 8, 2011 8:46PM

She is old. She is in pain. By most accounts, she is dying.

And the final chapter of Lura Lynn Ryan’s life has turned into nothing short of a melodrama that might well be titled “Crime and Compassion.”

George Ryan’s wife deserves our sympathy because she is yet one more victim of the white collar crime that is rampant in the too-often arrogant worlds of business and politics.

Her body now trampled by cancer, the 76-year-old former first lady of Illinois is no doubt suffering — physically, emotionally, perhaps spiritually. And instead of this final passage occurring with reverence and privacy, as it should, her death will play out amid controversy, petty debate and a merciless media spotlight.

It’s easy to feel compassion for Lura Lynn, especially when we see pictures of her frail body, hose trailing from her nose to the oxygen tank she carried while attending court hearings in her husband’s ongoing battle to get out of federal prison.

Lura Lynn Ryan has always been far easier to like and respect than her husband, who even before indictments and handcuffs came off as humorless and pompous.

Still, there’s plenty of heartfelt debate about whether he should be freed to be with his wife in the closing moments of her life. Not because he deserves this final goodbye but because it will ease her suffering and those of other family members.

via George and Lura Lynn: a story of crime and compassion – Beacon News.