December 4, 1939 – May 20, 2020
John Anthony Bryan - “Tony” - entered this world on December 4, 1939 at the Queen of Angels Hospital in Los Angeles, the son of Louis Pierre Laguerenne Bryan and Ann Mary Rieland Bryan. He passed in Bakersfield, California on May 20, 2020, predeceased by his older brother, Louis Jr., a World War II veteran, and his younger brother, James, a Vietnam veteran. Tony graduated from both Loyola High School (Los Angeles) and from San Francisco State College. After college he served as a “hot shot” firefighter with CAL FIRE, and served his country as a reservist in the United States Marine Corps, honorably discharged in 1965. He subsequently attended law school, after being personally recruited by Father Joseph Donovan, the Dean of Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.
Tony passed the bar exam on his first attempt and worked as a Deputy City Attorney for the City of Glendale before pivoting and beginning a life-long career as a defense attorney in the criminal courts. He defended cases in both Los Angeles and Kern counties before permanently relocating to Bakersfield in the 90’s, handling increasingly complex and high profile cases, and eventually specialized in death penalty defense cases.
Tony relished defending the downtrodden, and devoted his career to defending individual liberties and checking the unrestrained exercise of governmental power. He loved history, philosophy, and advocacy, and wove them into what was described as “fireworks” and “a tornado in the courtroom” by the media. Among other professional recognitions he received, Tony was presented the coveted Atticus Finch award by the Kern County Bar Association for his unwavering commitment to his clients and the law.
Outside of work, Tony lived a life filled with passions and pursuits: hunting, fishing, cycling, baseball, poetry, classical music, Catholicism, Marines, the second amendment, Ireland, and cats. Of the latter, he adopted many special and cherished felines over his lifetime. Tony served as a director of the National Rifle Association, and on the board of the Camp Hamilton Veteran Memorial Park. A devout Roman Catholic, he attended mass religiously throughout his life, most recently at St. Michael’s Chapel in Bakersfield.
Tony’s most enduring legacy will be his impact on his expansive network of friends and acquaintances, for he relished nurturing deep relationships and positively impacting others’ lives. Tony is survived by his son, Christopher Bryan, and his grandchildren Nicolas and Elizabeth Bryan.
