James
Bryant
Local mortician
named national
embalmer of the year
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“Each year we look across the nation to recognize someone who has
the attributes worthy of the award and Rev. Bryant exceeded all of
those qualifications,”
T
he path to his profession was clear when
James Bryant was just 5 years old. He would
wear his little black suit and bow tie as he
placed fallen birds or insects in a wagon, then
lead a procession on his tricycle in his backyard.
Even at that young age, pride welled inside of him at
the thought of preparing a funeral for the departed.
Decades later, he does not remember exactly what
sparked the idea of becoming a mortician. But the
passion stayed with him as a teen when he interned
with his uncle as an embalmer at a local funeral
home. After a tour of duty in Vietnam, he separated
from the Army and sought out to become the best
embalmer he could be in an industry not often
celebrated by society. The work became his calling, to
be part of a team to present families with the lasting
image of their departed loved ones, and now, at 66,
he has reached the pinnacle of success: He has been
named National Embalmer of the Year, presented
at the 2016 Epsilon Nu Delta Annual Osiris in San
Antonio. “It’s really the greatest award you can
get as an embalmer,” Bryant said. “We are the
nucleus of the funeral home.”
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