Obituary of John Henry Bryan

John Henry Bryan of Wurtsboro, a lifetime resident of the area, died Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at Orange Regional Medical Center, Middletown, NY. He was 79. The son of the late Charles and Katherine Morris Bryan he was born June 12, 1932 in Monticello. John was retired from Orange and Rockland Utilities. He joined the Wurtsboro Fire Department in February of 1955 and had been a member for 56 years. John served as President of the Fire Company in 1958. During the 1960's he served as 2nd Assistant and 1st Assistant Chief and then elected Chief of the Department in April of 1971. John served as Chief from 1971 - 1981 and was the longest serving Chief in the history of the Department. In 1982 he was appointed Arson Investigator for Sullivan County and was also a member of The Sullivan County Arson Task Force. In 1991 John was appointed as the 1st Chairman of the newly formed Wurtsboro Fire District and has served on the Board of Commissioners for over 20 years. John was an active member of the Community Church of Wurtsboro, he was a former deacon and also served on The Buildings and Grounds Committee. John was a longtime member and past Commander of the American Legion Post #1266. John loved his community but was happiest when spending time with his family and friends. He will be lovingly remembered and sorely missed. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Marie Handford Bryan; 2 sons: John (Clare) of New Fairfield, CT and Joseph (Maureen) of St. Louis, MO; 2 daughters: Ann Sussman (Jay) of Medford, NJ and Barbara Lawler (Kevin) of Wrentham, MA; A Brother: Charles Bryan of So. Fallsburg, NY; a Sister Betty Cauthers of Woodridge, NY. 15 Grandchildren: Katie, John, Jessie, Sara, Kristen, Erin, Michael, Allison, David, Meghan, Charlie, Jack, Shannon, Amy and Matthew. Also survived by several Nieces and Nephews. Visitation will be held on Thursday, August 4 from 1-3pm and 6-8:30pm at the VanInwegen-Kenny Funeral Home, 111 Sullivan Street, Wurtsboro. Funeral services will be held on Friday at 11:00am at the Community Church of Wurtsboro with Rev. Robert Meyer officiating. Burial will follow at the Sylvan Cemetery. Memorial contributions can be made to the Citizens Reunited to Overcome Cancer (CROC), PO Box 860 New Hampton, NY 10958 or Community Church of Wurtsboro, PO Box 487, Wurtsboro, NY 12790 Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the VanInwegen-Kenny Funeral Home of Wurtsboro. www.kennyfuneralhome.com