William Irving "Bill" Bryan, Jr. 1931-2001

BRYAN, BRETT, HANSON, SVENBY, SAUL, DREW, WRIGHT

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 12/30/2012 at 00:06:36

William I. “Bill” Bryan
Estherville – Funeral services for William I. “Bill” Bryan, 70, of Estherville will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church south of Gruver with the Rev. Neal Armstrong officiating. Interment will be at Swan Lake Township Cemetery, Gruver. He died Saturday, Oct. 13 at Avera McKennan Hospital, Sioux Falls, S.D.

Visitation will be held from 4-8 p.m. Tuesday at the Henry-Olson-Fuhrman Funeral Home in Estherville.

He was born on March 5, 1931 in Estherville, the son of William I. and Josie Johanna (Hanson) Bryan, Sr. He received his education in the country schools in Emmet County and graduated from Maple Hill High School in 1949. He served in the United States Army during the Korean Conflict.

Following his discharge from military service, Bill returned to the family farm. On April 18, 1957, he was united in marriage to Mildred Lucille Brett in Fairmont, Minn. The couple made their home on the farm and Bill farmed his entire life. He retired from actively farming several years ago. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, researching genealogy, working on his computer and family camping trips.

Bill was a member of the Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church south of Gruver, where he had served as church president several times as well as other church offices. Presently he was serving as vice president of the church council. He was a longtime member of Toastmasters and the Emmet County Historical Society, where he was presently serving as vice president of the board of directors. He was a charter member of the Emmet County Genealogical Society and was serving as Swan Lake Township Clerk.

He is survived by his wife, Mildred of Estherville; son Donald Bryan of Estherville; daughter, Cheryl Svenby and her husband Loren of Spirit Lake and sisters, Mary Saul of Chandler, Ariz. and Leona Drew of Swea City.

He was preceded in death by his parents, one brother, Robert and one sister, Shirley Wright. (Estherville Daily News, Estherville, IA, October 15, 2001)