Melvin Lee Bryant

COLUMBIA - CSM Melvin L. Bryant, U.S. Army (retired) passed away on Wednesday, December 24, 2014, in Columbia, South Carolina. Melvin was born in Ashland, Alabama on August 11, 1922. He was the oldest of nine children of Thomas and Arbelle Bryant. He was preceded in death by his parents; his son, George; and four of his siblings. He is survived by and will be deeply missed by his wife of 69 years, Marta; daughters, Lucy (Herb) Hohe, Dandy (Jody) Lorick; and son, Tom (Jan). He also leaves behind seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He joined the United States Army in 1942, seeing military action in World War II and again in the Vietnam War. He was part of the invasion of Anzio and was wounded in the Battle of Italy receiving the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Combat Infantry Badge as well as numerous unit citations. He later served in Vietnam with the Combat Engineers. After leaving the service, Mel worked for himself until he retired in 1997. After retiring, his passions were playing golf and helping in the improvement of life for the community by volunteering many hours with Habitat for Humanity, Veteran’s Administration, and others. He served on the boards of many community organizations with enthusiasm, but his longest serving and most loved was his role on the board of AllSouth. Mel was a founding member of AllSouth and served on the board for 50 years. He sadly and reluctantly resigned in 2014 due to health issues. He loved family, golf, fishing, old Western movies, and was a long time member of Saint Joseph Catholic Church. Visitation will be held Sunday from 6 until 8 p.m. at Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday, December 29, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. at Saint Joseph Catholic Church with Mass officiated by the Very Reverend Gary S. Linsky. Burial will be in Fort Jackson National Cemetery at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Fisher House, 7323 West U.S. Highway 90, San Antonio, TX 78227.