Pastor Bill Bryan went home to be with his Lord on July 22, 2008, at age 88. He was born April 30, 1920 in Yale, Iowa. He graduated from Panora High School in 1937. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in Des Moines, Iowa, in December
1939 and was assigned to Hamilton Field, Calif., then transferred to Base Maintenance at McChord Field, Wash., in March of 1940. He graduated from the Boeing School of Aeronautics in Oakland Calif., May 3, 1941 and transferred to the 94th Bomb Squadron, 12th Bomb Group in 1941. He graduated as a Power Plant Specialist in Chanute Field, Ill., on Nov. 3, 1941. He graduated Aircraft Gunnery School at Las Vegas, Nev., in 1942 and transferred to the 82nd Bomb Squadron, 12th Bomb Group in 1942, flying as a radio/gunner on B-25 crew from Esler Field, La., to Egypt. He served in North Africa, Sicily and Italy with the 82nd Bomb Squadron aircraft maintenance. He moved from ETO to China, Burma, India with the 12th Bomb Group. He flew to the U.S. and landed in Miami the day of President Roosevelt’s funeral. He was discharged as a T/Sgt. in Jefferson Barracks, Mo., in April 1945.
Bill married Ruth Ellen Whitman on April 29, 1945, in Panora, Iowa. They moved to Lake City, Wash., in 1948. In the early 1950s, he was reactivated and stationed for several months in El Torro, Calif. Bill worked as a civilian aircraft inspector at Sandpoint NAS, Seattle, for more than 20 years and even took a class at NAS Whidbey. In 1958, he worked as part of the pit crew on the Miss Bardahl hydroplane.
At the age of 40, he came to know the Lord as his personal Savior and felt a call to the ministry. He worked full-time and went to night school at King’s Missionary Training Institute. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. from Mountlake Bible College in June 1966. He also attended Child Evangelism Fellowship Training and various other schools. He was ordained in the Columbia Baptist Conference on July 28, 1969. He was a minister to Briarcrest Baptist Church before getting the call from Coupeville Community Bible Church.
Pastor Bill, Ruth, and their youngest daughter moved to Coupeville where he was pastor from Oct. 1, 1970, until he resigned on April 25, 1998. He attended the first Institute of Basic Life Principles in Seattle and was active for many years as an usher and a counselor. He was active in counseling for over 40 years and was a member of the Association of Christian Counselors since March 1991. Early in his Coupeville ministry he was also conducting services at the Island County Jail.
Pastor Bill was a master gardener and taught pruning and grafting to many friends. He was quite proud of his bearded iris varieties.
Pastor Bill was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Ruth; his mother, Winnie Rote; his sister, Helen Bryan Rote; and his brother, James LeRoy “Jiggs” Bryan.
He is survived by his daughters, Linda Ruth Bryan (Anunson) of Kingston, Susan L. Bryan (Arnold) of Coupeville, and Beth Bryan (Derringer) of Federal Way; grandchildren, Jeremy Anunson of Kingston, Nathan Anunson and his wife, Deann, of Kingston, Timothy Wells and his wife, Dawn, of Eau Claire, Wis., and Jennifer Wallace and her husband, Robert, of Coupeville; and great grandchildren, Rebecca, Dylan, Abigail, Caleb, Faith and Sydney.
There was a private burial for immediate family only on July 25. A memorial service will be held at Burley Funeral Chapel, Oak Harbor, on Saturday, Aug. 9, at 2 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Ex-CBI Roundup, c/o Susan Arnold, 204 N. Main St. No. 21, Coupeville, WA 98239-3424.
