William Bryant Obituary

William A. Bryant, Jr. FLORENCE, SC - William A. Bryant, Jr., 87, of Florence, passed away Wednesday, December 30, 2009, at McLeod Regional Medical Center after a short illness. He was born March 15, 1922, in Charleston, SC a son of the late William Archie and Hattie Draxy Bryant. He attended Charleston County Schools and the Murray Vocational School where he studied drafting. On April 15, 1940, he married Maggie Fields of Lake Swamp, SC. They were married 67 years until her death in 2007. At the beginning of World War II, he enlisted in the United States Coast Guard where he served until the end of the war. He and Maggie had two daughters, Peggy and Barbara, who were born during that time. At the end of the war, he and his family moved to Florence, SC where Maggie's parents resided. He was employed with Progress Energy of the Carolinas for 35 years until his retirement. He was a member of the Hampton Masonic Lodge, a member of St. Paul United Methodist Church and a member of the Jimmy McNair Sunday School Class where he attended until he entered the Heritage Nursing Home of Florence in 2001. He was a devoted father, grandfather and a loving husband. His passion was his family and restoring cars. He loved his boyhood home, Charleston, SC, where he spent family vacations and many Christmases and loved to go to the mountains of North Carolina with his wife. Surviving are his daughters, Peggy Turner and Barbara Bryant (Tim) Kaylor, both of Florence; two beloved grandchildren, Joan Ellen Turner of Florence and Donald Clyde (Lori) Turner of Colchester, Vermont; brother, Lawrence (Betty Ann) Bryant of Charleston; nephew, Skip Bryant of Charleston; sister, Malvina Cook of Charleston; niece, Toni Jackson of Charleston; great-nephew, Andrew Jackson of Charleston; great-niece, Dottie Anne Grooms of Charleston and a special friend, Karen Willis of Florence. Memorials may be made to St. Paul United Methodist Church, PO Box 5446, Florence, SC. Graveside services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, January 2, 2010, in the Florence Memorial Gardens with full military honors presented by the Veterans Honor Guard directed by STOUDENMIRE-DOWLING FUNERAL HOME. The family will receive friends from 6 - 8 p.m., Friday, January 1, 2010, at the home of Joan Turner, 2190 Twin Bridge Drive, Richmond Hills, Florence, SC, and at the funeral home Friday from 9 - 6 p.m., and Saturday from 9 - 11 a.m. The family would like to extend a special thank you to the Doctor and Staff that cared for him. Visit our guestbook at www.postandcourier.com/deaths