Mildred Peterka Bryan

Mildred “Pete” Peterka Bryan died at Providence St. Peter Hospital on December 5. She had suffered a massive sudden stroke several days previous and died peacefully and beautifully with her family by her side. Pete was born in her family home in tiny Utica, South Dakota on July 13, 1920 as the youngest child of John and Lydia Peterka. Her family heritage was one hundred percent Czech. She was the smartest girl in her small schoolhouse and excelled at piano. For high school she went each day to the much bigger town of Yankton and, no surprise, was valedictorian of her graduating class at Yankton High School in 1938.

After a stint caring for her older brother's children, she graduated from Iowa State University and completed her education in dietetics at Vanderbilt University. Pete was commissioned second Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps as a dietician. That commitment took her to the airbase at Rapid City, South Dakota. It was there that she spotted her handsome, dashing pilot, Captain Donald “Red” McLeod Bryan across the room at the Officer's Club. After a whirlwind romance, they married on Pete's birthday, July 13, 1944, both wearing their Army uniforms. That began the saga of “Pete and Red”, lasting 69 years until Red's death in 2013.

After living in Montana, Colville, Omak and Wenatchee, Pete and Red retired to Olympia in 1987 to be close to their grandchildren. Throughout Pete's life she had a passion for anything creative. We all can remember her mosaics, her incredible sewing projects, her knitting and most importantly, her painting. Watercolor painting gave her so much pleasure and her charming style has been loved by so many. Here in Olympia, she started her business selling her art and her greeting cards featuring iconic Olympia buildings and landmarks. Many are lucky to have a “Pete Bryan” piece in their home or their mailbox. She loved being involved with the local Artists Gallery and served on the board for many years, working at the gallery and enjoying being with so many talented artists.

The game of bridge was also very important to Pete and she regularly played duplicate bridge at the Olympia Bridge Club. Even into her 90's, she was always trying to learn new bridge skills and her bedside table at home was filled with bridge books. She had so many other passions....gardening, cooking, movies, crosswords, and especially reading. She was a voracious reader and spent a lot of time reserving books at the Timberland Library....rarely ever purchasing books, but sharing books with her many friends. It was always fun to get her eclectic book recommendations.

Pete was such an inspiration to those who knew her and she simply defied all when it came to “act your age”. She was forever tackling new projects, challenging her mind and learning new things, all while being a beloved loyal friend to so many and loving mom to her family. What a role model she was! She is survived by her three children, John (Tori) Bryan of Edmond, OK, Patty (Mark) Layton of Olympia and Mark (Susan) Bryan of Seattle and four grandchildren, Stephanie, Ross, Susanne and Jackson.

There will be a celebration of Pete's life at 11:00 am Saturday, February 6 at the Olympia Country & Golf Club.

In Pete's memory, donations may be made to the “Pete Bryan Scholarship for the Arts”, Heritage Bank, 900 Cooper Point RD SW, Olympia WA 98502.