Roy A. Bryan

Col. Roy Ambrose Bryan, 97, died peacefully in his sleep on September 21, 2014. Roy was born on January 5, 1917 in New York City (Manhattan), the sixth child of Louis Kay and Beatrice May (Maloney) Bryan. Following his graduation from St. John Preparatory School, Col. Bryan enlisted in the Army in 1935, advancing rapidly and holding every rank from Private E-1 to Colonel 0-6. He was commissioned in 1941 as one of the first officers in the newly formed Medical Service Corps focusing his career in hospital administration and plans and operations. He retired in 1970 having served his country for 35 years. Col. Bryan earned a bachelor's degree in Military Science from the University of MD in 1954 and completed two years of post-graduate study at Trinity University in Texas.

Col. Bryan's service included deployment to the China Burma India Theater in World War II, Korea from 1961-1962, and two tours of duty in Germany. Decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Army Occupation Medal, the Nation Defense Service Medal and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal.
Following his retirement from military service, Col. Bryan worked as a hospital administrator in the Department of Medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and finished his career pathways as a realtor for O'Connor, Piper and Flynn and Coldwell Banker.

Col. Bryan married the love of his life, Beatrice (Bette) Mary Briere on September 11, 1937. Together they established a loving home for their four children: Penny Jones of Georgetown, TX; Roy Bryan Jr. (Karin) of Annapolis, MD; Peter Bryan (Carol) of Centennial, CO; and Betsy Regan (Ron) of Kansas City, MO. The family lived in 16 different locations during Col. Bryan's military service involving 30 different residences. In 1970, Bette and he bought a home in Odenton, MD, and established permanent roots in the community. In 1988, Col. Bryan was recognized as the Citizen of the Year by the Greater Odenton Improvement Association (GOIA) for his commitment to community service. Roy served as president and treasurer of the Hammond Park Civic Association and served as the treasurer of the GOIA for many years.

Roy was an avid genealogist and devoted many hours of meticulous research toward developing an accurate family record for the Bryan family. He was the third great nephew of the famous pioneer and explorer Daniel Boone and a cousin of Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of Abraham Lincoln. Roy was a member of the Boone Society, an organization dedicated to the preservation of Boone family history.

Roy was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years Bette, his five siblings (Dorothy, Kathleen, Beatrice, Mary, and Lou), sons-in-law Earnest R. Jones Jr. and Carl Degen and grandson Christopher Degen. Roy is survived by his four children, 9 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren and 2 great great grandchildren.

The family wishes to express their great appreciation to the staff at Sunrise of Annapolis Senior Living Facility for their tender care and devotion to "Mr. Roy." We will all remember Roy's quick wit, his ability to turn a simple event into a wonderful story, his kind and caring manner, his devotion to family and his life's mission to serve others.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made in his name to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS. 66675. Thank you!