William Jennings Jennings Bryan III

William Jennings (Bill) Bryan, III was born in Dallas, Texas on October 1, 1951, to William Jennings (Sonny) Bryan, Jr. and Joanne Chapman Bryan and died peacefully on August 27, 2017, from pancreatic cancer. He will always be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, minister, mentor, teacher and friend to all who knew and loved him. He grew up in Dallas and graduated in 1970 from Justin F. Kimball High School. He worked at the family barbecue business—Sonny Bryan’s Smokehouse—prior to earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Rice University in 1974. He earned a Master of Theology degree (cum laude) in 1977 and a Doctor of Ministry degree in Christian Education and Church History in 1986, both from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University.

While at Rice, he met and married Corinne Clemons Bryan. They settled in Dallas and vicinity where he served as pastor of local congregations of the United Methodist Church, including First United Methodist Church (FUMC) in Rockwall, Arapaho UMC in Richardson, Grace UMC in Dallas (part of the East Dallas Cooperative Parish) and Lovers Lane UMC in Dallas.

In 1998, he became Director of the Intern Program and Professional Formation and Professor of Supervised Ministry at Perkins School of Theology. In 2015, he was promoted to the position of Associate Dean for Student Affairs and served in that role until his death. He retired from the North Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church on March 1, 2017, after 42 years of service.

He was a lover of people, books, music, history, travel, sailing, bicycling and especially the Church. He liked the library and academics, but fell in love with the local church during his internship at First United Methodist Church-Rockwall, where he served as Associate Pastor from 1976-1978.

Bill’s second clergy appointment was as Associate Minister of Evangelism at Arapaho United Methodist Church, where he served under three different senior ministers from 1978-83 as they built a new sanctuary with his name carved into the cornerstone.

He was appointed as Pastor-in-Charge of Grace United Methodist Church, a historic church in a transitioning neighborhood in Old East Dallas, from 1983-95. He was one of the earliest pastors of the East Dallas Cooperative Parish, which included Grace UMC, and served a term as President. Ministries were established for a clothing bank, job bank, affordable housing, legal clinic, free medical clinic, sewing school to teach refugees a marketable skill and expanding English-language preschool services in the Open Door Preschool. Grace UMC became the first place in the nation where state family court was held in the evening hours in the community to serve hourly workers with justice. Bill welcomed the diverse congregation, including international refugees living in the neighborhood, young professionals, and Perkins professors from across the Metroplex. Accepting Bill’s invitation, His Holiness the Dalai Lama preached in the sanctuary at a free event open to the public. Bill received the Paul Allen East Dallas Cooperative Parish Award and Rotary Award for community service. The congregation named the Bryan Chapel in honor of the contributions and service he and his family made to the church. In 2017, the Agape Medical Clinic reception area was named in his honor.

Bill’s appointment as Senior Minister of Lovers Lane United Methodist Church from 1995-98 placed him in the national spotlight—on CNN and WFAA, along with Bob Costas—as the officiant for baseball great Mickey Mantle’s funeral. He served on the Board of Trustees of Southwestern University and Board of Directors of the Providence Place agency for adoptions and life skills preparation for disabled young adults in San Antonio. He served Dallas Bethlehem Center as Secretary to the Board of Directors. He was a member of the Texas United Methodist Historical Society and participated as a judge in the annual Kate Warnick Award for Local Church History. He served on the Anti-Racism Committee of the North Texas Annual Conference to educate individuals and congregations on recognizing and combating racism.

During his service at Perkins School of Theology, Bill was a member of the SMU Centennial Committee, member of the Town and Gown organization, served several terms on the SMU Faculty Club Board of Directors and received the 2016 award for Service to the Faculty Club Board. In 2017, he was honored with the naming of a conference room within the Perkins School of Theology’s Intern Program Department for him.

For nearly 30 years, he taught courses in church history in the United Methodist Course of Study School. He was recognized as an outstanding teacher by being named among three in the inscription on a garden bench (located in the Perkins cloisters) donated by a grateful student. He was a founding member of the Meadows Museum and a 30-year member in the Wesley Study Group, composed of United Methodist ministers from the North Texas Annual Conference. His service to the wider community was further demonstrated as a member of the Interreligious Council of Thanksgiving Square and as guest preacher for the annual inter-faith worship service at Temple Emmanu-El in Dallas. Bill served on the Board of Directors of Partners for Sacred Places, a not-for-profit institution serving congregations in the historic preservation and missional use of their sacred buildings.

He served on the Grievance Committee of the State Bar Association of Texas, helping to ensure the integrity of the law profession when clients file a grievance against an attorney. He tutored children in reading at the J. J. Rhoads Elementary School. He founded and taught the Early Sunday School Class at First United Methodist Church-Dallas and was the unofficial chaplain of the First UMC-Dallas Chancel Choir where he could be found singing on Sunday mornings.

Bill described himself as a “Storykeeper.” According to the Dalai Lama, “The planet does not need more successful people. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of all kinds.” Bill was this kind of person.

His faith and courage were featured in an article and photograph on the front page of the Dallas Morning News on Easter Sunday 2017 (https://www.dallasnews.com/life/faith/2017/04/14/god-grief-says-dallas-pastor-diagnosed-pancreatic-cancer). Further articles appeared reporting his death https://www.dallasnews.com/obituaries/obituaries/2017/08/28/rev-bill-bryan-retired-dallas-methodist-minister-perkins-professor-dies-65 and https://www.dallasnews.com/life/faith/2017/08/28/saying-goodbye-friend-bill-bryan

He is preceded in death by his parents William Jennings (Sonny) Bryan, Jr. and Joanne Chapman Bryan. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Corinne Clemons Bryan; his children, Catherine Elizabeth Bryan Tunks and Christopher William Jennings Bryan and their spouses, Adam Thomas Tunks and Abigail Elizabeth Sherrill, and grandson Jeremy Bryan Tunks; brother Burt Chapman Bryan and wife Margaret Otto Bryan; and many loving aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. A seventh-generation Dallasite and descendent of the Daniel family, he will be buried in Daniel Cemetery near the SMU campus.

A celebration of Bill’s life will be held on Saturday, September 2, 2017, at 11:00 am at First United Methodist Church in Dallas, 1928 Ross Ave., Dallas, TX 75201. Memorials may be made to Grace UMC Endowment, 4105 Junius St., Dallas, TX 75246. Online condolences can be made at www.Sparkman-Hillcrest.com