Obituary of John M. Bryant

John Bryant, 89, passed away on May 31, 2023, after a brief illness. He was predeceased by his parents, Jesse Bryant and Iva Bell Schultze Bryant; his brothers, Byron R. Bryant and Raymond C. Bryant; and his sister, Dorothy Bryant.  John is survived by his wife, Joan (Pattee) Bryant; children, Paul Bryant of Bettendorf, Iowa; Janice Bryant of Buffalo, New York, Karen and husband Patrick Murphy of Angola, New York, and David Bryant and wife Donna Nimec of Ipswich, Massachusetts.  He has eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

John attended Iowa State University where he received BS and MS degrees in Agriculture and Dairy Science in 1964.  Subsequently, he completed his PhD in Dairy Nutrition at Washington State University in 1973; following that, he worked as a Research Executive at Agway Inc. in Syracuse, New York.  He then returned to academia in 1977 at Montana State University as the State Dairy Extension Specialist.  As part of his duties at MSU, he would help farmers certify their farms as GMO-free. Later, he would hold the same position at Washington State University.  After retirement in the 1990s, he taught as adjunct instructor at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Washington. Additionally, he was a member of the Covenant Bible Seminary, where he taught on the Book of John.

He loved square dancing, cars, Bible study, and socializing with friends. Even during his later years, he was energetic and danced at his grandchildren’s weddings. His favorite car was a white 1964 Mercedes-Benz 220 S.  He was a long-term resident at Bonaventure of Lacey Senior Living, where he organized a Bible study group.  He traced his genealogy to Boconnoc, Cornwall in the United Kingdom, from which his grandfather, William Bryant, immigrated in 1872.

The family expresses their appreciation to the team of doctors and caregivers at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, Washington.

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