Joan C. Bryant

Birth date: Aug 23, 1931 Death date: Sep 12, 2017

Joan C. Bryant, 86, of Pompano Beach, passed away September 12, 2017. Beloved wife of the late Arthur Bryant; loving mother of Monica (Sal) Sequeira, Bonnie R (John) Wilgus and Kathy Bryant; cherished grandmother of Dustin Wilgus, Read Obituary

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Monica Sequeira

418w ago

My Dearest Bubbe,

I will miss you everyday. You were the sweetest, most unique lady I had the pleasure to have in my life.

You welcomed me into your family and treated me like your son and I always felt your love for me.

The feeling of your gentle, soft hands as they patted my face every time I said hello and goodbye to you will be completely unforgettable and special to me.
NO ONE will do it like you did. I'll miss that very much.

You and I had a very exclusive connection. We're both Virgos and very sensitive people. We shared a deep love of movies, especially old movies.

Your vast knowledge of them made talking to you so much fun and I always looked forward to those conversations.

I won't forget our memories and conversations. Your unique, beautiful being will forever be with me.

I love you Bubbe 😍

"Here's looking at you kid"

Sal

Lori Colaluce

418w ago

in honor of Joan.

Hello To Bonnie & Family, I am so sorry for the loss of your mom. My mom Dolores Always Says "You Loose Your Mother You Loose Your Best Friend". Your mom was such a sweet lady & always so nice to me.. Much Love & Prayers To You & Your Family..

A lit candle with a soft flame, surrounded by small white flowers and green leaves, set against a warm yellow background.

Wendy Oxman

418w ago

in honor of Joan.

A large, lit white candle with a subtle wax drip on a beige background, accompanied by a white and pink paper flower on the right side.

Ann And Mike Toledano

418w ago

Bonnie please accept our deeper sympathy in the passing of your mom and dad.
They are joined now for eternity.

Ann And Mike Toledano

418w ago

in honor of Joan.

Deb Sensabaugh

418w ago

in honor of Joan.

Monica Sequeira

418w ago

September 25, 2017 My Mom

When thinking about what I’d share with you today, I realized all of us may have a different impression of mom.

Mom had many sides to her. She could be tough when she had to be, yet often was the soft place I’d land when I needed comfort.

She could seem shy, yet also have no trouble speaking her mind. She could be teacher & nurturer & quite practical too. And she was always ready to escape & get lost in a good, old-fashioned classic movie or two.

She was a meticulous record-keeper & documented everything. She was also a woman ahead of her time who was “recycling” long before it was fashionable.

She knew how to feed her family on a budget & make sure we never ran out of the necessities growing up.

But above all of these qualities, she loved her family.

She adored my dad whom she truly complimented since they were so opposite. Although they didn’t always agree, you knew they were a united front. Dad could always make her laugh--even when she seemed to be serious & focused on something else. Theirs was a love that spanned a lifetime of over 60 years. Their “dance” was one only they knew the steps.

Over the last several days of sorting through mountains of old photos & memories, I was reminded of a day a few years ago when I took mom to get a new ID card at the DMV. It was a bit of a drive to get there & somehow we had gotten on the subject of mom’s life before dad. There came a moment in the car that I had to stop & catch myself because it felt more like I was out with a girlfriend than actually my mom! I remember thinking how cool that moment was because it gave a brief glimpse into the person my mom was & I so appreciated that!

So I know this may shock some of you, but mom spent a great deal of time worrying. It was in her genes, I suppose some may call it her “specialty”. The truth was, however, if she cared about you, she worried about you. She was loyal to friends & family.

She especially worried about my sister Kathy. She always made sure Kathy was taken care of before herself. We are so grateful that Kathy was the last person mom heard before she passed away. Knowing that you were at mom’s side (when we couldn’t be) gave Bonnie & I great comfort & peace. I know mom was grateful that you were there too. Since the hurricane had just rolled through South Florida, Kathy had told me that she wanted to make sure mom knew she was safe & ok. I know mom heard you Kath, because she was able to let go & be with dad once you had left.

I want to thank her extraordinary private caregivers, Verona & her daughter Celina. Between the two of them, they provided the best care & companionship anyone could ask for. They are a team above all others. And you should know, mom loved you. This was evident to us recently during her hospital stay. When Verona would lean over to mom to say goodbye at the end of her shift, Verona would kiss mom & say “I love you”. Mom would simply reply “I love you too”. This was a bit of a surprise to us since mom reserved those special words for just a select few.

I want to also thank those of you who went out of your way to help mom over the years. Whether it was taking her out for groceries or delivering any necessities to her, it was appreciated. My mom called my friend, Felice, an “angel on Earth” because Felice was always ready to help, never a second thought. Thank you to all of the nurses & staff & caregivers that did their best for mom.

All I can say now is I’m glad you’re with dad, without pain, without aches & without worry.

Monica Sequeira

418w ago

(page 2—continued)

We will take care of Kathy like we told you so many times.

Your grandsons, Zach & Lucas will carry your spirit in their hearts & always remember their Bubby with love & laughter.

You will be by your son-in-law, Sal’s side every time he sees an old black & white film on the Turner Classics Movie Channel. You always made him feel like your son, your “fellow Virgo”, as you’d say.

Mom, you used to sing to me when I was little “you will wear velvet little girl, when you grow up, you’ll brighten the world.” I want you to know, I will continue to shine your light to brighten this world—because you brightened ours.

We will continue to be the women you raised us to be & you will continue to live in all of us. Thanks for being our mom. We will always love you.

Bonnie Wilgus

418w ago

Dear Mom, September 12, 2017

I LOVE you. I miss you. It’s so hard to believe that you left us only 2 short months after Dad passed away. I didn’t realize how heartbroken you must have been when he left us. It was enough to make you want to follow him. You were in a lot of pain (both physically and emotionally) before you passed – but now both of you are together and your pain is gone. So, I’m (at least) grateful for that.
Thank you for being my mom. Also thanks for being a mother-in-law to my husband and a grandmother to my children. I didn’t realize how much I always needed you (I needed to know that you were here) until you were gone. Now I am feeling lost without you. I’ve been sad and numb since Dad has gone and that feeling has continued on now that we have lost both of you.
We are told that in order to keep your memory alive in our hearts and minds – we need to continue remembering all of our family times together. So, since Monica, Kathy & I now have the task of going through your apt, your things, your pictures and so on – we have been remembering (and sometimes even laughing at) the “what were we thinking” kinds of pictures we have discovered! We have actually even found out things about you (& Dad) from before you started a family and even before you got married. Who knew that you were such an avid water skier and that you even received an award for just that! We also discovered that in “the early years” you were quite the adventurer - taking trips all over the place with your friends, even before you met Dad.
I remember many fun family vacations that you and Dad took us as kids – including when Disney World first opened. Also going to Stone Mountain, GA - exploring the plantations and sampling the old fashioned home-made corn bread from a wood burning fire place. There was also that funny time when we went to the Everglades. I remember a family walking right behind us on the trail. The dad in that family was carrying a young child on his shoulders and the mom had 2 other kids holding onto her hands. Then, with all that going on – the dad calls out to you by your maiden name “Hey, Joanie Kaufman”! When you turned around, you realized he’s a boy you went to grammar school (elementary) with! We were all amazed that he actually recognized you from the back of your head.
Later on in life – you became more of a home-body. We would look forward to going to the movies or sometimes having a family game night at home. There were times when we would play outside in the backyard and Dad would film us. We would either be on the swing set, running through the sprinklers in our bathing suits, or riding bikes on the back driveway. Then we would watch those home movies later and laugh at ourselves. There were times when we would play inside with our Barbie dolls, and set up our houses in the living room. I remember you giving us a “job” to do at the same time, but making it into a game. We had new carpet and it would produce a lot of “fuzz”, so you created a game called “pick up fuzz”. We would race each other, crawling and rubbing our hands back and forth across the carpet. Then whoever got the biggest ball of fuzz picked up the fastest would win! I don’t remember what prize we won, if any, but I do remember laughing and continuing on playing Barbies after gathering up all the fuzz balls. I also remember times when we would sing around the piano (sometimes singing off-key). Dad would film us then also, and when we would watch later, we would laugh at ourselves once again.

Bonnie Wilgus

418w ago

-cont'd page 2-

I remember you laughing at Dad’s jokes (and he had many). You had to have a good sense of humor being married to him. I recall many times laughing so hard sitting at the dinner table with our whole family. One day, when we were teenagers, you came home with an extremely short haircut. We all thought you looked like a baby eagle, so we nick-named you “Eagolet”. This had multiple meanings – since you always had sharp vision and hearing too (like Eagle-eye).
As we grew up, got married and had kids – you took on a few new roles. First, as the best mother-in-law, giving advice to John only when needed. Next as a wonderful grandmother, to my kids, who call you Bubby. When Dustin was little I know he always looked forward to going to your house for Cream of Wheat with Bubby’s special touch. Bengy followed him and they both got plenty of love, kisses and hugs from you and Dad (Pop-Pop). When Bengy got older, he gave you both new nicknames – Bubbles & Popcorn – which you found cute and funny.
Dustin and Bengy both enjoyed making you laugh. I know we will all miss seeing you and hearing your voice. But, as I did when Dad passed, I will promise you I will see you in my dreams. We will talk to each other then. Maybe even discuss old time movies and movie stars like we did often while you were here. I know my kids and husband will also miss you very much. I also know how much Monica’s whole family will miss you and how much Kathy will miss you.
Mom, I want to let you know that on your last day here – when Monica and I knew we couldn’t be with you – we asked Carrie (Kathy’s group home manager) to take Kathy to visit you. Verona sent us pictures while Kathy was visiting you for a few hours. We got to see Kathy with you then, holding your hand and whispering in your ear. Carrie had a bit of a hard time convincing Kathy to leave your side. Verona called us to tell us you passed away 2 minutes after Kathy left your room. I called Kathy to let her know. I said “thank you, Kathy, for being with Mom when Monica and I knew we couldn’t be there”. Then Kathy said to me “thank you”. I asked her “for what” and she said “for letting me see her”.
I just want you to know that you don’t have to worry - because Monica and I will always make sure Kathy is well taken care of – so your mind can be at ease. I also know that your 2 wonderful caregivers, Verona and Celina will miss you too. But they should feel proud of how well they cared for you - especially toward the end when we could not be there with you. Just knowing they were there with you, taking care of you, helped us tremendously.
I know we will all be together again in Heaven someday. I know you are now with Dad and your parents and your son, Barry Wayne. So, until then … all our Love always, with many, many kisses & hugs.
I Love you, Mom.
Always, Bonnie xoxo

Monica Sequeira

418w ago

September 25, 2017 My Mom

When thinking about what I’d share with you today, I realized all of us may have a different impression of mom.

Mom had many sides to her. She could be tough when she had to be, yet often was the soft place I’d land when I needed comfort.

She was a meticulous record-keeper & documented everything. She was also a woman ahead of her time who was “recycling” long before it was fashionable.

She knew how to feed her family on a budget & make sure we never ran out of the necessities growing up.

But above all of these qualities, she loved her family.

All I can say now is I’m glad you’re with dad, without pain, without aches & without worry.

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