Vote for Buddy

I was born on March 24, 1950 in Blakely, GA. My parents were the late Eddie B. Bryan and Voncille Hill Bryan who had moved to Columbus in 1952 which offered families better opportunities after WW ll. My mother was a school teacher and taught fifth grade at Fox Elementary School in Columbus for 35 years in the same classroom. My father was a small arms weapons specialist at Ft. Benning Military Reservation until his sudden death at the age of fifty. I have a wonderful sister, Beverly H. Bryan Forbes who resides in Charleston, SC.

I attended Brown Avenue Elementary School, Richards Jr. High and graduated from Columbus High School class of 68’. At Richards I was elected Drum Major and played the drums in both the marching band and orchestra. During that time several of my classmates and I formed a band which stayed together all the way through high school and we played at hundreds of parties, dances and gigs. At Columbus High I continued drumming in the band and was a member of the Delta Sigma Tau Fraternity and elected President my junior year. My freshman year at the age of fourteen I started working in the evenings and weekends at Britton & Dobbs Funeral Home (Cypress Chapel) under the direction of Curtis and Betty Dobbs which was located on Warm Springs Road, the property where Blue Cross and Blue Shield now sits. This facility was eventually sold to the former Muscogee County Coroner Donald Kilgore. After graduation from CHS, I attended and graduated with honors from Gupton-Jones College of Mortuary Science in Atlanta, GA and was elected class Vice-President and President of the Phi Sigma Eta National Honor Fraternity, Theta Chapter.

While in Mortuary College I continued my embalmers and funeral directors apprenticeship at H. M. Patterson & Sons Funeral Home, Springhill Chapel. Upon graduation I obtained my Georgia Embalmers and Funeral Directors License and returned to Columbus where I began working at Striffler-Hamby Mortuary a family owned facility under the direction of T.A. Hamby. In 1995 Striffler-Hamby was purchased by a national corporation, Service Corporation International and I was appointed Director of Preneed Funeral Services. In that position I was able to help hundreds of families make their arrangements in advance without having all the emotions affect their decisions.

In March of 2000, I joined the staff at Vance Memorial Chapel under the direction of former Russell County Coroner and present Alabama State Representative Lesley Vance. In 2001, Mr. Vance along with son-in-law Lance Brooks built Vance-Brooks Funeral Home on Macon Road where I serve as Embalmer, Funeral Director and Director of Preneed Funeral Services.

Over the past forty plus years I’ve assisted thousands of families with making funeral arrangements and directing their love ones services. I’ve dealt with all types and causes of death, assisted on multiple autopsies and have been directly involved with the organ procurement team out of Atlanta. I’ve had the opportunity to have worked extremely close with all the former Coroners of Muscogee County and will serve in this capacity with pride and dignity.

In conjunction with my long term, on- going career in the funeral industry I have multiple years of experience in Sales, Marketing and Business Development. Having owned and operated Bryan Sign Co. allowed me the opportunity to provide signage of all types for hundreds of businesses and individuals throughout Columbus and surrounding area. I’ve been fortunate to have provided clinical laboratory services to multiple medical facilities in Georgia and Alabama through my association as Sales Representative with Doctors Laboratory.

In 2007, I started a business for my wife and daughter, B’s Express Courier Service which provides courier services to multiple businesses in Georgia and Alabama. B’s Express runs medical supplies and specimens, dental, postal, legal and miscellaneous pick-up and delivery services. Their company is a sub-contractor for Fed-EX and other national delivery companies running multiple daily routes and on call bases.

Along with my commitment to the funeral industry and my campaign for the coroner’s position in Muscogee County I am currently assisting my brother in law by marketing his new Servpro of Lee County franchise in Auburn / Opelika, AL.

Throughout my childhood my family were members of Oates Avenue Baptist Church and during my high school days I transferred my letter to Edgewood Baptist Church as many of my friends were members there. I’ve volunteered to work on multiple committees with various organizations and was extremely active with all of my children’s school and sports activities over the years.

The opportunity to be elected the Muscogee County Coroner brings me full circle in my professional career related to the death industry. What I will bring to this office is care and sympathy to the survivors of those families which have experienced the death of a loved one. I will be able to offer multiple years of experience in order to fairly determine the cause of death while using all the resources available. I vow to serve the citizens in this community in this position with pride and dignity.