John Lay Bryant

John Lay Bryant, age 75, of Springfield, Virginia passed away on Thursday, September 9, 2021. John was born October 7, 1945. The love of my life, John Bryant, was my best friend for over 50 years. He was fun, caring, gregarious, thoughtful, compassionate, smart, and yes, he was a Boy Scout. He loved our children, Laura, Patrick and Jay; their spouses, Dan, Holly and Aira; and our grandchildren Sofia and Kip, who all made his life so full and rich. He was always proud of each of them and tried to be their support whenever they needed him. He was also a good big brother to his sister Judy Brittain and to my brother Buster Roye. As a life-long Christian and a 40-year member of Westwood Baptist Church, he filled many roles at the church and loved the community there. As a 41-year resident of our neighborhood, he became known as the Mayor of our block because he knew every family and greeted the new neighbors as they moved in to make sure that they were included in any block activities. He so enjoyed getting to know everyone and their families. John earned a BA in International Business from the University of Texas at Austin in 1969. There, he took one course in computers which he used during his three-year service in the U.S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant up to Captain. As our son, Jay, said, “He joined the Army and learned a trade.” He then worked for 30 years in the U.S. Postal Service as an Information Technology Manager, providing guidance and management of the technology needed for all the post offices across the country. This job had him traveling all over the country, where he made many friends. For one year in 1979 and 1980, he had what he called his “Cinderella Year,” being part of the Presidential Exchange Program that put Federal employees into managerial jobs in the private sector. He worked that year with Westinghouse Elevator Division in New Jersey. For two weeks of that year, he went to Europe with the other participants of the Exchange Program experiencing the exchange of information between other governments and the U.S. Government. After retirement from the Postal Service, he became a consultant working mainly in the field of Cyber Security helping small companies comply with the regulations necessary to work with the Federal government. He also provided computer support for both me and Laura in our specific careers, as well as fixing any computer problems of friends and neighbors. This was fun for him since he was helping someone by using his knowledge of computer. As a family, we often went camping, starting from when we were newlyweds. He would go hiking with the kids when they were young and up to today. He was planning a camping trip for this October with as many of the family members as he could entice. He was also an avid reader and loved history, owning more books than any of us knows what to do with now. Our family, friends, neighbors and his co-workers will always miss his smile, hugs and love. We thank God for his life. Written by John's wife Yvonne Bryant. A visitation for John will be held Monday, September 27, 2021 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Demaine Funeral Home, 5308 Backlick Road, Springfield, VA 22151. A funeral service will occur Tuesday, September 28, 2021 at 2:00 PM at Westwood Baptist Church, 8200 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield, VA 22152. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in John' name to: Healwell at https://www.healwell.org/ https://give.healwell.org/give/323444/#!/donation/checkout -or- Doctors Without Borders at https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/ https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org/secure/donate Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.demainefunerals.com for the Bryant family.