CWEA Member and Vice Chair for the Santa Clara Valley Section, William Jennings Bryan Jr., of Gladstone, passed away unexpectedly, on the 25th of February, 2019.
The level of intensity has been high here at SVCW over the past month. Of course there are the normal trials and tribulations involved in operating and maintaining a conveyance and treatment facility atop the plethora of capital project activities, pollution prevention tasks, and laboratory analyses that we’re involved in.
Within all the din of activity there was an event that gave us all pause and stopped us in our tracks with grief; the sudden and unexpected loss of our dear co-worker and friend, Bill Bryan. Bill touched every one of our staff, consultants, contractors, and vendors in the kindest, gentlest, and most giving manner I have ever encountered.
The entire SVCW organization grieves this loss… we grieve for ourselves, for Bill’s wife, daughters, and granddaughters. This man was a one-of-a-kind soul that we rarely get to meet in our lifetimes, and I am honored to have known Bill.
Even in death, Bill brings us gifts. One of which is the reminder that life is short, that life can end at any given time and that we can’t wait for tomorrow to tell someone we love them or make that phone call to mend a rift or extend a hand to help another living being in times of need. As I was reminded just recently, Bill would end his conversations with “just be nice.”
We dedicate this issue of our newsletter to Bill. May our memories of him bring us eternal joy and always remind us to just be nice.
Bill was born on the 16th of August, 1962, in Gladstone, to William J. and Shirley (Anderson) Bryan.
Growing up a proud “East Ender”, Bill was a legend at the Gladstone “Rec”. Year in and year out, Bill could be found tearing up the ping pong tournaments. Summers were spent swimming in Little Bay de Noc, fishing and working at the Gladstone Dairy Flo with his lifelong friends.
After graduating from Gladstone High in 1980, Bill moved to California and enlisted in the United States Navy, becoming a nuclear reactor operator on the carrier USS Carl Vinson.
On Valentine’s Day, 1983, he married his childhood love, Barbara Weycker, welcoming daughters Candice in 1984 and Amanda in 1989.
Following the birth of their daughter Amanda, the family moved to Minneapolis. Bill received a civil engineering degree from the University of Minnesota and operated his own consulting firm.
In 2008, Barb and Bill decided to return to the California sunshine and split their time between Gladstone and the San Francisco Bay area.
Bill was an avid golfer and hit the links, in the U.P. and California, at every opportunity with his closest friends. A food and wine enthusiast, Bill was known to always pick the right vintage for the meals he was passionate about cooking. Meals which (usually) turned out deliciously.
In addition to his loving wife Barbara, Bill is survived by: daughters, Candice (Dale) Eberly, Amanda (Eric Savage) Bryan; sisters, Genie Gillis and Vicki Kasper; granddaughters, Christianna and Charlotte. Bill is further survived by his nieces, nephews, cousins and many close friends.
Bill’s parents, William and Shirley, preceded him in death.
Bill’s family will receive friends on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Skradski Funeral Home in Gladstone. Military rites will follow visiting hours, followed by funeral services with Pastor Diane Srutowski of Trinity Lutheran Church in Stonington officiating. A celebration of Bill’s life will follow at the Gladstone Yacht Club.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Envelopes will be available throughout visiting hours. Bill will be laid to rest in the Gardens of Rest Cemetery in the spring. Messages of condolence may be offered at www.skradskifuneralhomes.com
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