Ruth Margaret Joy Bryant, Ph.D.

Ruth was born on July 21, 1920 in San Jose California. Her parents, George Ellingwood and Grace Mason Joy, and her sister, Barbara Jean Andersen, preceded her in death.

Her parents instilled her with the importance of education, the arts and a connection to the natural world. Her mother, Grace, graduated with the first class of women in 1918 from Stanford University. Her father graduated from California College and did graduate work at the University of Chicago. He was a respected lecturer, education specialist and an accomplished pianist. As a young man he directed Camp Joy, a boy's summer camp and traveled extensively studying youth education. In 1927 he was ordained as a Northern American Baptist minister. When Ruth was almost a year old, her family moved to Los Angeles from San Jose. On July 7, 1928 when Ruth was eight years old, her baby sister, Barbara Jean, was born. The family moved to Glendale and Verdugo Woodlands during those years. They spent summers camping and hiking in Yosemite and later Ruth would fondly recall those stories to her children.

Ruth graduated with a degree in Economics from the University of Redlands in 1943. She worked at Forest Lawn and did student work at U.C.L.A. She enrolled in religious studies at Berkeley Baptist Divinity School and went to work at the Roger Williams Club where she met Robert Rogers Bryant. The couple was married shortly thereafter. Over the next several years they lived in Berkeley and were gifted with the addition of 3 children to their family, Ellen, Kris and Ross.

In 1953 the family moved to Bozeman, Montana where Ruth cared for her family and supported her husband as wife of the minister of the First Baptist Church. Those years are remembered as some of their best by the older children. In 1958 Kerry was born and a little over a year later the family headed out in search of a new home. They traveled around the country for three months visiting friends and spiritual communities. In the end they landed unexpectedly in Austin, Texas where they joined the Christian Faith and Life Community. Ruth made her home Austin for the next 55 years. Bob and Ruth divorced after 23 years of marriage but remained friends until his death in 2010. She lived in her house in the Allandale neighborhood for the last 25 years of her life and was grateful for the wonderful neighbors and friends that she had there.

With an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and deeper spiritual understanding as well as a passion for science, art, music, and education, Ruth continued her educational and career pursuits through a variety of avenues. In the summer of 1964 she studied at the Tuskegee Institute. She later worked as a Rehabilitation Counselor for MHMR and held several administrative assistance positions. Ruth received her masters from the University of Texas in Educational Psychology and Counseling in 1967. Receiving her Ph.D. in Early Childhood for the Handicapped in 1991 at the age of 71, she developed an assessment tool for neo-natal infants and their caregivers and felt this was her life's work. A relentless student she was one of the oldest students to attend the University of Texas, taking classes until her 91st year.

Always game for new adventures Ruth's love of the outdoors and nature continued all her life. She surrounded herself with plants and flowers and had a remarkable green thumb. She believed strongly in the ideals of conservation and recycling. In her last year of life Ruth worked tirelessly on jigsaw puzzles and Word Search, keeping her mind alert and lucid to the end.

Ruth is survived by her children, Ellen Clark, Kris Becker and husband Larry, Ross Bryant and wife Barbara, Kerry Bryant Lemon and husband Jim, 8 grandchildren, and 7 great grandchildren, as well as the family of her sister, Barbara.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 30, 2015 at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 3003 Northland Drive.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice Austin at www.hospiceaustin.org/donate