Irma Bryant, 1915-2012: Avid volunteer was admired for her drive

Irma Bryant knew the leading figures in Toledo society. She was an avid golfer and active in sister-city activities with Toledo, Spain. Enlarge

Irma Bryant, a champion of her husband's medical practice and a volunteer for charitable and civic causes who was an accomplished golfer, died Wednesday in Hospice of Northwest Ohio, Perryburg Township. She was 96.

She had congestive heart failure.

She was a wife, mother, and homemaker. She knew the leading figures in Toledo society, and she was socially prominent, her son, Barry, said.

"She's sort of the last of a great era, of the '50s and '60s," her son said.

She was born June 28, 1915, in Flint, Mich., to Ruby and James Little and was a 1931 graduate of East Lansing High School. While a medical secretary at the University of Michigan, she met her future husband, W. LeRoy Bryant, who was in medical school. She took courses at UM.

The couple married Sept. 14, 1938. The family moved to Toledo in 1945, where he established a surgical practice and she made a home, first in the Old Orchard neighborhood of West Toledo, then in Ottawa Hills.

She was determined to complete her education and in 1952 received a bachelor's degree, with honors, from the University of Toledo. Afterward, she grew active in charitable causes. She was more than a supportive spouse.

"She saw her role [as] getting him known in the community," their son said. "She was a driven person. She wanted to be successful."

In 1962, she led a subcommittee of the Committee on Relations with Toledo, Spain, to promote sister-city activities in conjunction with the 125th anniversary of Toledo, Ohio. The Bryants held a reception in their home to honor guests from Toledo, Spain.

She also volunteered for the Sapphire Ball fund-raiser for the Toledo Opera and was a member of the Toledo Hospital Auxiliary.

She later turned to golf in earnest and took lessons from such notable local pros as Lloyd Gullickson, Harry Moffitt, and Herman Lang.

She and her husband lived on Brookside Drive in Ottawa Hills from the mid-50s until 1970. They joined the then-new Belmont Country Club in Perrysburg Township and moved there.

"They were not only founding members, they were in the first group of eight condominiums built at Belmont," their son said.

Dr. Bryant, after heart valve surgery, became administrative director of the Toledo Hospital medical staff in November, 1976.

On Feb. 9, 1977, her husband became ill as the couple took their seats at the Peristyle in the Toledo Museum of Art for a performance by the Leningrad Symphony Orchestra.

"He told my mother, 'I think I'm going to pass out,' " son Barry said. "She said, 'Put your head on my lap.' He put his head on her lap, and he died. It was very tough for her for a few years. In those years, the husband was the woman's whole life. That was a devastating blow for her, but she rallied and did well."

She took golf lessons into her 80s. She was Belmont's senior women's champion at 80 and women's champion overall at 65.

"She was a good athlete and had good hand-eye coordination and was a good student," said Bill Perry, Belmont golf professional from 1994-2005. "She was very welcoming and just a person you could talk to. For some reason, we hit it off and remained friends."

Kitty Beth Millhon, a neighbor, said: "I'll remember she had a beautiful smile and lovely red hair and always wore gorgeous high-heeled shoes. She was over 80 when I first knew her well. She was always a joy to be with, and she continued to be curious about many things."

Once on a visit, Ms. Millhon noticed a stack of library books in German: "She said she wanted to brush up on her language skills," Ms. Millhon said.

Surviving are her sons, Barry, Lanning, and Clark Bryant, and two grandchildren.

There will be no visitation or services.

The family suggests tributes to Hospice of Northwest Ohio.

Contact Mark Zaborney at: mzaborney@theblade.com or 419-724-6182