Marian "Dale" Bright

Known to all as "Dale," she lived a life marked by steadfast love for Jesus Christ, devotion to her family, and a quiet faithfulness that ran through her life.

Dale was born December 23, 1947, in Greenwood, South Carolina, the daughter of the late John Wesley "J.W." Styron and Elizabeth King Styron. She was preceded in death by her birth mother, Emma Hazel Styron (who died when Dale was a young child), and her sister, Mona Styron Fleming.

It was at the Spartanburg County Fair that Dale met Eddie Bright, though each had come that night with someone else. Eddie noticed her all the same and made his interest known: he told a friend to let him know if she and her date ever parted ways. They soon did. Dale and Eddie married and spent the next 54 years together. In her later years, Dale met her health challenges with quiet strength and resolve, and Eddie's steady, faithful care for her did not go unnoticed by those who loved them both.

Dale graduated from Clemson University with a degree in nursing. She began her nursing career at Mary Black and St. Francis Hospitals, then joined Drs. Long & Vaughan, P.A., shortly after becoming a mother, working first as a nurse and later in the office. She went on to a second career — nearly a decade as a Mother's Day Out teacher for two-year-olds at Edwards Road Baptist Church preschool.

For more than 30 years, Dale was a faithful member of Mountain Creek Baptist Church. She sang in the choir and, for years, taught a Sunday School class of two-year-olds — the same age she had taught at Mother's Day Out — and every child in her care, at either place, was simply one of her own. She quietly coordinated bereavement meals for grieving families — a ministry of comfort she carried out for years. At Mountain Creek, she and Eddie were blessed with a wonderful church community to share their lives with. Among them were their closest friends, Jean and Jimmy Cox, with whom they enjoyed their favorite dinner spots, afternoons at the lake, trips to Pigeon Forge, and Saturdays at Clemson football games, a friendship that spanned decades in the ordinary rhythms of everyday life. She also cherished outings with her XYZ ("Xtra Years of Zest") friends at Taylors First Baptist Church.

For Dale, writing cards was its own quiet ministry — carried out for years from her own kitchen table, many of them handmade, each one made with care. She rarely needed to write much inside; she created or chose the card so carefully that it said exactly what she meant. She also loved to crochet, read, work crossword puzzles, and collect small treasures that caught her eye. She enjoyed nightly FaceTime calls with her sister, Janice. She was flexible about nearly everything in life — except her spot on the couch, which no one else was allowed to sit in.

Dale was devoted to her family. She was just as faithful to Eddie as he was to her. She was sharp, in ways her son, Wes, came to know well. When he was in trouble as a boy, she would chase him around the backyard — until she'd stop and call out, "Wait till your dad gets home," and he'd turn and sprint straight to her instead. He also grew up thinking every mother could recall any date, name, or fact without trying; it was years before he realized how rare a memory like hers really was. She took quiet pride in the man he became.

She was a beloved mother-in-law to Elizabeth — in her final days, Dale told Wes that Elizabeth was the daughter she never had. She was "Nanma" to her grandchildren, Luke and Stratton. She loved them dearly, and was there for holidays, birthdays, and visits in-between, with family trips to Watercolor, San Antonio, and the Texas coast to see them — and looked forward to their visits home just the same.

Dale is survived by her husband, Eddie Bright, of Greenville, SC; her son, Wes, and his wife, Elizabeth, and their children, Luke and Stratton, all of San Antonio, Texas; her brother, Wayne Styron; and her sister, Janice Gentry, and her husband, Robbie, all of Greenwood, South Carolina.

A visitation will be held Monday, August 3, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Mackey at Woodlawn Park. A Service of Worship will be held Tuesday, August 4, at 11:00 a.m. at Mountain Creek Baptist Church, followed by a graveside service at the church.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Mountain Creek Baptist Church or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.