Dudley Bryant
Dudley Stimson Bryant
May 1, 1932 – January 14, 2020
Dudley Stimson Bryant, 87, of Columbus, Ohio died on January 14, 2020 after an extended illness. Dudley was born to Mary and Earl Bryant on May 1, 1932 in St. Louis, Missouri. Dudley married his wife, Judith “Judy” Ann Gobel, in 1954. Dudley and Judy had three children together: Leslie, Laura and Robert. Judy predeceased Dudley on August 2, 2019, after 65 years of marriage.
Dudley spent his early childhood in St. Louis, Missouri and his high school years in Kansas City, Missouri. As a teenager, Dudley assumed extra responsibility in his household while his father was in the service overseas during World War II. Dudley graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia in 1954, where he majored in Public Administration. His first job was an assistant to the City Manager in Kansas City, Missouri. Dudley’s career was briefly interrupted by his service in the United States Army, from which he received an honorable discharge. After his military service, Dudley pursued a career in corporate finance and banking, which led his family and him on journeys through St. Louis, New York, Boston, Chicago and eventually Columbus, Ohio, where he retired from the Huntington Bank in 1997. Those who worked with and for Dudley will remember him as extraordinarily knowledgeable and scrupulously ethical.
Dudley was a man of many talents, but those who loved and admired him will most remember him as one of the sweetest, kindest and funniest man any of them had ever known. Dudley would certainly be disappointed in this comment, and would undoubtedly have joked that he would have thought he’d be remembered for his handsome good looks, which were indeed notable. Having a true love of country, one of Dudley’s many avocations was American history, which he studied and watched unfold over his 87 years. A prolific teller of tall tales, Dudley loved to regale those around him with delightful and humorous stories, some of which were even true. Most of all, Dudley loved the company and conversation of his family and many friends. Dudley had an agile mind, and a breadth of knowledge across a wide range of topics. Every room he was in, every gathering he joined, became a more interesting and welcoming place in his presence. In his final years, Alzheimer’s disease stole much of Dudley’s intellect, but, mercifully, he never lost the essence of his charming personality, nor lost his love and appreciation for his beloved family and many friends. When Dudley finally succumbed, he did so peacefully and without pain.
Dudley was a beloved son, brother, husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Dudley is survived by his daughter Leslie Levine and husband Bob Levine (deceased), daughter Laura Bryant and husband John Hutton, son Bob Kent-Bryant and wife Jennifer, sister Lynne Fansel and her husband Paul, grandchildren Melissa, Jonathan, Katie, Jennie, Joseph, Sean, Jordan, Haleigh, and Benjamin and five great-grandchildren.
A service in celebration of Dudley’s life is planned to take place on August 7, 2021 at 12:30 pm (Delay was due to Covid-19) at Forest Home Cemetery, 2405 W. Forest Home Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53215.
I had the pleasure of working with and knowing Dudley during the years from 1979 to 1986 at the CIT Group, and afterwards going to many monthly dinners with Dud and a few other co-workers, up to the point of his moving to St. Louis. Dudley and Judy were a joy to be around and both are missed for sure. We loved talking sports of all kind with Dud, especially his beloved St. Louis Cardinals. Dud was like a second father to in many ways, after losing my own in 2001. This obituary was a real testament to his kindness, and the many laughs we had working and talking with him, especially about his ‘good looks’. God bless him and Judy together in Heaven.
Dudley and I were in the same Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity Pledge Class in the Fall of 1950 at the University of Missouri – Columbia. One evening in the Fall of 1953, Dud and I were planning to seek out students at Stevens College after a Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority exchange dinner. I paired off with Shirley Lyle for the dinner. I asked Shirley to a movie and told Dud he was on his own for the Stevens College adventure. Dud eventually married a Stevens College graduate (Judy Gobel) and I married Shirley Lyle, June 11, 1955. March 30, 2007, Dud and fellow Lambda Chi Alpha Brother and Pledge Class member, Rod Wernicke, surprised me by attending Shirley’s funeral (Phoenix, AZ Metro). Dud from Columbus, Ohio and Rod from Fort Worth, Texas. My condolences, thoughts and prayers for Dudley’s family and many friends.
Judy Bryant and I worked together at the YMCA of Central Ohio for many years. Dudley was always happy to attend our special events at the Y with Judy and he was delightful. They were such a happy couple! They loved their children and always told us about their children’s latest accomplishments. Judy and Dudley lived in the Northland neighborhood near the North Y so Judy could be at work in no time flat.