Rev. Dr. F. Wayne Bryant

September 12, 1930 - November 1, 2020

REV. DR. F. WAYNE BRYANT (09/12/1930-11/1/2020) Respected Minister and preacher, loving father of five, faithful husband, gifted tenor, fine horseman, loyal friend and colleague: these are just a few of the words that define the life of the Rev. Dr. F. Wayne Bryant, who passed away in Portland on All Saints Day, Nov. 1, 2020. Born to Joseph and Irene Bryant on Sept. 12, 1930 in Washougal, WA, Wayne was raised on the family farm in the Spokane Valley, where he learned the values of hard physical work, while becoming an expert horseman. He graduated from high school in Spokane and went on to attend several colleges, taking time off between semesters to work for tuition. On the road to earning his Doctor of Theology degree, Dr. Bryant served churches in Washington, Oregon, California and Iowa. After 50+ years of active ministry in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), he retired from First Christian Church in Portland, OR in 1999, but promptly took a position as Interim Regional Minister of the denomination. A second interim took him to Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO) for another two years. Dr. Bryant was married to his high school sweetheart, Dr. Betty Joy Bryant, for nearly 50 years, until her tragic death in 1998. On New Year's Day, 2000, he married longtime friend and colleague, Dorothy Wymore Pearce, who survives him. Other survivors include his children: Katherine Graves (Ron), Stephen Bryant (JoLee), Rev. Dr. Daniel Bryant (Judy), Theresa “Taerie” Bryant, and Sherri Bryant-Azbill (Mark); step-children: Kevin Venables (Danita), Kenneth Venables (Candace) and Julie Fendrich (Adam); sister, Marlene Johnston (Vernon); 15 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren (soon to be 12). Wayne and Dorothy shared a love of music and as a team, they became members of the Wilsonville Community Chorus (I-5 Connection), the SpringRidge singers at Charbonneau, and the West Linn Community Chorus, for which Wayne also served as concert announcer. Due to Covid restrictions, there will be no formal service at this time, but an in-person Celebration of Life will be held later, when it is safe to do so. In the meantime, you may wish to honor Wayne's life with a contribution to: The F. Wayne Bryant Scholarship Fund at Bushnell University in Eugene, OR First Christian Church: 1314 SW Park Ave., Portland, OR 97201 West Linn Community Chorus: P.O. Box 187, West Linn, OR 97068 Ecumenicall Ministries of Oregon: 245 S. Bancroft St., Ste B, Portland, OR, 97239