Celebrating the Life & Memory of

SGM Clearence Allen Bryant

Born in Putney, WV, the first child of Romey and Betty Bryant.

Throughout his youth, he was commonly known by his middle name,

Allen. As a young boy, he got his first taste of financial freedom,

delivering the weekly paper up the holler and later dispatching at the taxi

stand between Smithers and Glasgow, WV. By the time he was 12, he

was managing the ice cream stand at the carnival, and by 15, he started

working at factories in Chicago, IL.

After returning to WV for a short stay ,17-year-old Allen found a new

home in Silverton, Oregon. That home was Tongue Point Job Corp,

where he soon discovered his unique leadership skills. Those skills

helped elevate him to Student Body President and earned him a

scholarship to Mt. Angel College. While at Mt. Angel, he received the all-

too-common draft notice. He was only 18 when he decided he'd best

sign up to join the U.S. Army, a six-year enlistment that changed the

course of his life.

In 1967, he married Jean Marie Gier, with whom he would have five

children. Shortly after marriage, he attended basic training at Ft. Lewis,

WA, then Ft. Gordon, GA, for AIT as an Infantry Mortarman. After

completing AIT, he attended Jump School in Ft. Benning, GA, for

paratrooper training. As a high-speed, low-drag soldier, he participated

in the Shake and Bake NCO training program before being shipped to

Vietnam between 68 – 69 with the 173rd Infantry Division (Sky Soldier),

where he was wounded in combat.

One year after returning home, he was sent to AK. He would go

on to spend nearly half of his enlistment in that beautiful state. While there he

completed a BS in Occupational Education through Wayland Baptist University.

During his service he had assignments to Drill Sergeant, Artic Ranger, Equal

Opportunity and Race Relations NCO, and Recruiting and Retention NCO.

His 26-year military career culminated at the US SGM Academy at Ft. Bliss.

Shortly after his SGM Academy graduation, he was selected to head-up the

Correspondence Studies Division at the SGM Academy. SGM Bryant would

spend nearly four years leading the program before retiring from the military in 1993.

After retirement, he settled in Denton, Texas, where he's lived for the

past 30 years, close to family and friends. He was a member of the

FUMC of Sanger. He was the Director of Education at McKinney Job

Corp and the International Trade Institute in Dallas; he managed Radio

Shack on Carroll Blvd. in Denton and then joined the Security Team at

the Denton County Courthouse. After 9/11, he was called upon to travel

around the country to train airport security personnel. He was a life-long

member of numerous military and social associations.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Betty Bryant, Romey Bryant,

Rose Bryant (stepmother), his sister Barbara, and brother Jennings

(Pete). He is survived by Mary Bryant, his wife of 41 years, and children

Allen, Chris, Anna, Shawn, and Mike; his siblings Russell, Linda,

Sharon, Romey, Terry, Gary, Beverly, and Maynard, as well as numerous

nieces, nephews, and grandchildren. He will be missed by many whose

lives he touched with love and care.

In lieu of flowers a donation to FUMC Sanger would be welcome.