Robert C. Bryant

Bob was born in Santa Ana, California. The fourth child born to Ruth and Floyd Bryant. He was welcomed by his much older siblings Cheryl, Michael, and Johnny whom Bob loved and idolized. He told countless stories of how they would take him, along with their friends to ballgames, beach trips and adventures.

Bob attended St. John Lutheran elementary school and later Orange High. Bob loved to surf and the ocean was his happy place. If Bob had his way we would not be here today. We would be in Newport beach shooting flaming arrows at him as we pushed him out to sea on his favorite old surfboard. It really was his idea of a great funeral. (sorry Bob)

In 1970 tragedy struck the Bryant family and Floyd Bryant died suddenly. Bob lost his father at the age of 8. Bob and his young, widowed mother moved to the City of Orange. Bob’s mom was truly his best friend and biggest fan. Over the years they laughed and told stories of Ballgames, bicycling and life together. Ruth truly stepped up to the role of mother and father along with his father’s best friend Bob Erickson, who Bob was named after. Ruth’s brothers Jim and Ralph were also very instrumental in Bob’s young life. These men and others are one of the reasons that Bob took seriously the responsibility of stepping up for Fatherless young people. Hundreds of youth over the past 30 years considered Bob a great figure.

Bob was stricken with a very rare disease when he was just 12. Guillian-Barre Syndrome effects the nerves and muscles. Bob lost the ability to walk, talk and eventually breathe. He was in intensive care for months. His family was told he would not live through the illness. He recovered after nearly two years and intensive therapy. His brothers said that they remember Bob saying God let me live for something special. Over the years they almost forgot about this. It is easy to see now that God truly saved Bob for something very very special.

Bob and Lori met in the summer of 1984, they were 21 years old. Lori says that they met on not only a blind but deaf date because her friends set it up without her knowledge. Lori told Bob the night that they met that she was sorry but she just didn’t date. Lori was a single mom working two jobs and caring for her 2 year old daughter Missy. In true Bob fashion he figured out a way to date her without her realizing it! Over the next year or so Bob would invite Lori and Missy to Disneyland, Sea World and every other imaginable theme park. Missy fell in love with Bob immediately. Bob would play Barbies for hours with Missy and her young friends. Some of them actually thought his name was Ken. It took Lori a little longer. One day her father told her, “You should marry this guy.” To that she replied, “Seriously dad no one can really be this nice. He is probably a hatchet murderer in another state.”

Bob was not a hatchet murder and they were married on September 24, 1988. Bob took on his new roles as husband to Lori and father to missy very seriously. Again, Bob stepped up and asked Missy to “Merry” him too. He even wrote her vows and gave her a tiny ring in their wedding ceremony.

Four years later they added to their family Jacob, 1992 Jordan 1993 and Joshua 1997. This sudden growth sent them to a bigger house just two blocks away from Water of Life Church. Bob lovingly called his home Water of Life North campus. The Bryant family describes their years together with a warning; all guests would be told to use caution when taking a drink because something was going to get spit out of somebody’s nose for sure. There was never a shortage of laughter in the Bryant home. The kids say that they could always count on Bob barking when he walked in the door after work to greet them and they would bark back from wherever they were in the house.

Bob spent almost 20 years driving trucks for Allied Van Lines. He promoted to manager and when asked one day where he got his amazing material for training his teams he replied, “The bible.” His boss said, “You can’t teach the bible!!” after Bob informed him that he was leaving truck driving to pastor youth at Water of Church his boss said to Bob, “You are not a great manager because you are a great manager, you are a great manager because you are a great pastor.”

Bob’s destiny in ministry was finally fulfilled in his 10 years of youth ministry. Bob still says that the best job in the church is working with young people and cheering on the next generation. It was followed by the past 10 years in the healing and caring department along with healing rooms Fontana and prayer ministry. Bob loved the staff he worked with like his own family. So many of us had life changing encounters with God and Bob in prayer. Bob’s faith passion and ability to honor no matter what will remain with us forever.

Bob’s final promotion and step up was to the role of Papa to Zachary, Eli, Jameson and Lilly. Bob was a wonderful husband and father, but Bob was made to be a grandfather!! There was nothing more important to him then passing his faith in Jesus to his family friends and everyone he ever encountered.

His final words to Lori in the emergency room as he struggled to breathe and was about to be put on a ventilator were,

“Tell everyone I love them and Ill see you when I wake up.”

#praylikebobprays

#godturnthisaround

“Step up, don’t step down”