Nelda Bryant Kraft

Nelda Bryant Kraft, the last surviving sibling of an old Austin family, passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 3, 2007. Nell was born in Austin to William C. and Helen M. Bryant. Nell’s brothers and sisters included William Edward Bryant, Fred Bryant, John Bryant Sr., Thomas (Buck) Bryant, Mary Elizabeth Bryant, Mickey Hickman George, Nora Hall, Margaret McLaughlin, Gladys Kruhl, Kitty Kruhl, Dolly Bryant, and Anna Mae Turpin. She is survived by numerous nieces and nephews. Nell was a graduate of St. Mary’s Catholic School in Austin and received her BA from the University of Texas in 1955. The well-traveled Austin resident once vacationed in Los Angeles and decided to stay. She worked as a switchboard operator and didn’t return until decades later when she came back to Austin to help care for an ailing sibling. She was an outdoors enthusiast who loved to walk along the beaches of Southern California or Town Lake. On most Sunday mornings she could be seen walking from the Allandale neighborhood home she shared with her niece to early services at St. Louis Catholic Church. She was extraordinary in her devotion to the Catholic Church. As a member of the Third Order of St. Dominic, she was singular in her prayer life and daily attendance at Mass. She served joyfully as a volunteer to Paulist Productions in Malibu and the Counseling Department at St. John Disney High School in Los Angeles. The Paulist Fathers and the Dominican Fathers are indeed grateful for Nelda’s five decades of unselfish service. Nell honed her lifelong love of music at an early age by singing with a big band orchestra, but she was also a fan of country and classical music, especially piano concertos by Sergey Rachmaninov and the operas of Giacomo Puccini. No highbrow, Nell entertained one of her last visitors to her nursing home with a full, rousing rendition of Home on the Range, complete with little known choruses. Her favorite foods were the signature dishes of Catfish Parlour and Tres Amigos, washed down with a cold beer or tasty margarita. Nell loved her family, but had no children of her own. On holidays, she would gleefully jump into family pictures and take a front-row, center position. She recited the rosary for her many nieces and nephews every night and often sent fruit-of-the-month gifts on holidays. Nell was gifted with a great sense of humor, responding to comments about her age with, “My hair’s not that gray.” Her family expresses their sincere gratitude for care Nell received from Seton Medical Center, Health South Rehabilitation Hospital, Heritage Duval Gardens, the Cardiac Unit (2 North) at St. David’s North Austin Medical Center, and Hospice Austin. Special thanks also go to Carolyn Hall, Nell’s beloved niece who supported and cared for Nell during her last years, Monsignor Edward Matocha, Father Larry Covington, and Father Vincent Lopez of Los Angeles. A rosary will be recited at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 8, at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Louis Catholic Church, 7601 Burnet Rd., on Friday at 10:00 a.m. followed by burial at Mount Calvary Cemetery. Pallbearers include Butch Hickman, Pete Evans, Bill Bryant, Steve Bryant, and Robert Bryant. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to your favorite charity.