Joy Bryant

Joy Betty Alberta Bryant, 91, of Kerrville, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, July 13, 2021. She was born in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada. Her birth parents were Betty Antonia Jonsson and Johan Anderson, both from Sweden. She was adopted by William Sheppard and Beatrice Ruth Sheppard on August 2, 1930. She married Edward Richard Antonio on May 11, 1954 and they divorced June 8, 1965. She married Vernon Leon Bryant on December 27, 1968 in Anchorage, Alaska. He passed away December 15, 2001 in Kerrville. She went to Agriculture School in Lacombe, Alberta. Waitressing became her profession as she raised her three children. She was a professional seamstress, gardener, loved square dancing, playing cards and jigsaw puzzles. Never a stranger, she was always the first to knock on a door and introduce herself, welcoming newcomers to the neighborhood. She left Canada and moved to Alaska in 1966. She then moved to Anaheim, California in 1976 and then to Kerrville in 1988. She became a U.S. citizen on February 21, 2002. Joy was preceded in death by her mother and father; sister, Elsie; brother, Einar; son, Barry William in 1986; her husband, Vernon Leon in 2001; and her son, Richard Dale in 2020. Survivors include her daughter, Carol and her husband, Calvin; two grandsons, James and Rick; five great-grandchildren, Jasmine, Elias, Stellan, Avry and Raine. Although we mourn the absence of her physical presence, her beautiful, kind, and cheerful spirit will live on forever in the hearts of her family and friends. Memorial services will be held at 2 PM, Saturday, July 31, 2021 at Grimes Funeral Chapels.