John William Bryant of Harriman, TN, age 86, died peacefully at home on September 17, 2012. A native of Roan Mountain, John left home as a young man to join the US Navy in World War II. He served in the Pacific and eventually on the staff of Admiral Chester Nimitz. After returning home, he graduated from East Tennessee State University. His innate ability to relate well with people from all walks of life served him well throughout his career in the insurance business, as he was occasionally greeted by the barrel of a shotgun-toting client whose claim he had been dispatched to the hills to adjust. His work eventually led to less hazardous management-level positions with the John Hancock Insurance Company, for whom John opened and managed its first Nashville claims office in 1965. In Nashville, John put down roots and raised his family until the call of the mountains led him back following retirement.
Family and faith were dear to John. He also loved a good story, and had no shortage of material in a life filled with rich memories: from his happy but modest upbringing during the Great Depression; to his stint as a wide-eyed teenager at war halfway around the world; to winning over the most loving, yet protective, mother-in-law-to-be despite his "city slicker" image; to surviving the initiation to parenthood with twins when cloth diapers and laundromats were the only game in town.
John is survived by his devoted wife of 51 years, Barbara; his brother and sister: Charles R. Bryant, of Johnson City, TN and Carmelita Long of Bluff City, TN; his twin sons and daughter and their spouses: Patrick and Tammy Bryant of Charlotte, NC; Jeffrey and Cindi Bryant of Nashville, TN; Deanna and Alan Garrett of Wartburg, TN; and four grandchildren: Jonathan Bryant, Bailey Bryant, Meg Bryant and John ("Jack") Bryant.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, September 21 at 1:00 p.m. at Schubert Funeral Home, 1318 Knoxville Highway, in Wartburg. Members of John's family will receive visitors between 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 20 at the funeral home.
September 20, 2012
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
September 21, 2012
1:00 PM
September 21, 2012
2:00 PM
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