William McKinley “Bill” Bryant, 85, of Alderson, WV, passed away Tuesday, January 27, 2015, at The Brier Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Ronceverte, WV, following a short illness.
Born April 8, 1929, in Buena Vista,VA, he was the son of the late Rufus and Iva Ellen McElroy Bryant.
Mr. Bryant graduated from Alderson High School in 1948 and West Virginia University in 1952. While at WVU, he was a member of the West Virginia University Mountaineer football team and Delta Tau Delta fraternity. He was a high school football coach and social studies teacher in Alderson and Rainelle, WV, before joining the management program at Sears Roebuck in Virginia. Mr. Bryant’s career with Sears spanned over 30 years and took him and his family to Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. In 1987, he retired to Alderson with his wife, Lib.
Mr. Bryant was active in all the communities in which he lived, serving on the boards of directors for various charities and civic organizations across the Southeast. While in Alderson, he served with Alderson Main Street and the Alderson Public Library, was a member of the Old Greenbrier Baptist Church, and greatly enjoyed visiting with friends at the Big Wheel Restaurant.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his childhood sweetheart, Elizabeth Ann “Lib” Housby Bryant, the love of his life and wife of nearly 59 years; a son, Wayne Bryant; his brother, Don Bryant; and his sister, Dorothy Bryant Wood.
Survivors include a son, Gary Bryant and wife, Debbie, of Wabash, IN; a daughter, Ann McCullen and husband, David, of Hattiesburg, MS; three grandchildren, Erik Bryant, Melissa Taulbee and husband, Jake, and Elizabeth McCullen; a great-grandson, Clayton Taulbee; a niece, Patti Hunter and husband, Russell; and a nephew, Jarrett “Butch” Wood Jr. and wife, Carolyn.
A memorial service celebrating the life of Mr. Bryant will be held Saturday, January 31, 2015, at 11 AM at the Old Greenbrier Baptist Church in Alderson with the Rev. Dr. Bill Bryan officiating. Burial will follow at the Old Greenbrier Memorial Cemetery in Alderson.
Friends may call Saturday, January 31, from 10-11 AM at the Old Greenbrier Baptist Church.
For those considering an expression of sympathy in lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Alderson Ministerial Association, P.O. Box 641, Alderson, WV 24910, or to the charity of your choice.
Lobban Funeral Home in Alderson is in charge of arrangements.
Obituary originally published in the January 30, 2015, edition of the West Virginia Daily News.
