On January 4 ^th , 1930, Mary Ann Grace was born to Julia and Marvin P Grace in Paris, Texas.   They had settled there from York, Alabama.  They moved to Dallas, Texas where Mary Ann grew up.  At age ten, she saw the arrival of her sister, Linda Grace.  They became lifelong friends and confidants to this day. Mary Ann attended Woodrow Wilson High School.  Mary Ann was always drawn to literature and reading books.  After graduating early from High School, she attended Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas and received a degree in English.  After graduation, she taught Auditorium in the Dallas ISD for several years.

In 1953, Mary Ann entered the physical therapy program in Dallas and where she met her husband of 67 years, John Edmund Bryant, a dental student and native of Oklahoma. They were married in 1954 at the Little Chapel in the Woods on the TWU campus.  Mary Ann opted to teach to support John.  After graduation, John and Mary Ann moved to Lincoln, Nebraska as John now served in the Air Force as a Dentist.  There, they had their first son, John Edmund Bryant, Jr. and in 1960, they moved to Altus, OK where David Evan, Matthew Averill, Timothy Joseph Bryant were born in 1960, 62, and 65.

In 1966 they moved to Mary Ann's college Alma Mater of TWU, Denton, Texas.  They lived here from 1966 until 1974.  The children all attended Woodrow Wilson Elementary School and Strickland Junior High School.  In 1974, they moved to 4 acres in Argyle, Texas where she stayed until death. With kids closing in on college, Mary Ann went back to school at TWU and completed her master's in library science.  She then went to work for the Argyle ISD in the mid 80's as Librarian for all the school system.  She did so until her retirement in 2000.  The years between the 60's and 2000 were filled with family activities, summer vacations, and getting her sons through school and hopefully into college.  Her strong marriage with John and family activities sustained her in these years.  She was active in The League of Women Voters.  Mary Ann was a devout Christian all her life as was John.

All her sons went on to college.  In 2000, tragedy struck, and Timothy passed away.  Her other three sons were by now in the professional world.  Mary Ann and John "retired" in 2000 however, they continued to operate a small vending business of supplying pencils in machines in DFW elementary schools for many years.  John became known as Mister Pencil Man to school kids. They both rode together daily to service these pencil machines.

Her husband, John, passed away in 2020 after a brief encounter with bladder cancer and its complications.  They were the love of each other's life.  Her oldest son, John and his wife, Rosa moved into her home from 2020 until her death on March 14 ^th 2023.  They helped provide her with a loving home in the room where she and John had raised their family.  Mary Ann was very happy and content.  She reveled in her religious beliefs and bible studies with close friends.  She did not fear death despite missing John.

Mary Ann and John both left their legacy to their sons of strong loving marriages.  John and Mary Ann were married 67 years.  She is survived by her three sons, John, David, and Matthew who all have enjoyed strong family bonds.  She left three daughters-in-law, Rosa, Maria, and Rebecca. Their six grandchildren are also close due to years of having "Cousin's Camp" every summer with Mary Ann and John.  All these grandchildren grew up together because of Mary Ann's efforts despite living in different areas of Texas.  Derek, Valerie, Alexandra, Ashley, Tyler, and Sabrina all survive her.  Those grandkids adored their grandmother and grandfather.  John and Mary Ann were each surrounded by this family as they became frail in old age and passed away. She and her younger sister, Linda, also remained lifelong confidants and friends.  She also has a bevy of lifelong friends.  She was active for many years with First United Methodist Church in Denton then Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church in Flower Mound.

This was the life of Mary Ann Bryant.  Mother, Grandmother, Child, Wife, Sister, confidant of many, and child of Christ.