Obituary of Mary Bryan

Mary Venetia Smith Bryan, 93, died Tuesday November 23, 2010 at Westminster Canterbury in Lynchburg. Born August 2, 1917 in Easley, South Carolina, she was the daughter of James Monroe and Floride Davis Smith. Mary graduated from University High School in Columbia, South Carolina and Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, GA. She was predeceased by her husband, Dr. Phillips Respess Bryan, her brother, James Monroe Smith Jr. and her son-in-law, Dr. John B. Mills III. Mary and Phil were married in 1939 and moved to Lynchburg in 1947 where Phil joined the surgical practice of Drs. Barksdale, Pugh, Haynesworth. He later established his own private practice. Mary was a member of the Junior League, the Lynchburg Garden Club, the ?Sewing Club?, and First Presbyterian Church. Mary had many talents and interests. She studied ancient Greek and Mayan cultures, was an avid birdwatcher and she loved and had a great knowledge of wildflowers. Her home was always filled with opera music and her own talent on the piano served as enjoyment to her family and friends as Mary could play almost any request. She never tired of learning. She took watercolor classes and discovered a natural ability to paint. Her children?s homes showcase her works, which will continue to be a source of joy attesting to her legacy of culture and art. One of Mary?s admirers said it best: Mary was a remarkable woman ? an assertive intellectual with a Southern lady veneer. Mary is survived by her brother, Cantey Davis Smith of Atlanta, GA and her four children, Cantey B. Mills of Atlanta, GA, Dr. Phillips R. Bryan Jr. and wife Anita of Fishersville, VA, Mary (MayMay) B. Gay and husband, Garland of Lynchburg and Lucy B. Ballard of Virginia Beach, VA.; grandchildren, John B. Mills IV, Susan Mills Jewell, Elizabeth Gay MacGaw, Lucy Gay Geoghegan, Margaret Gay Young, Jane Phillips Ballard, and Rachel Kirby Bryan, and 5 great grandchildren. The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to the nurses and C.N.A?s on Fifth Floor Hearthside at Westminster Canterbury for their loving care of Mary and also Scott and Diane who kept her engaged and entertained every day. A memorial service will be held Saturday, November 27, 2010 at 2 PM in the Commons at Westminster Canterbury, Lynchburg, VA. A reception will follow on the bridge. Memorials may be made to Opera on the James, 2240 Rivermont Ave., Lynchburg, VA 24503 or the Lynchburg Symphony, 621 Court St., Lynchburg, VA 24504. Diuguid Funeral Service-Wiggington Road Chapel, 385-8900, is serving the family.