Bryant Funeral Home: Serving their community for 26 years

WORLAND — Bryant Funeral Home of Worland is celebrating 26 years in business this year and they have seen several changes in the past few years.

Bryant Funeral Home was founded by Mike and Yvonne Bryant in October 1995 at its current location, 1320 Big Horn Avenue. While Mike was born and raised in Worland, he served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in California and after returning to Worland he wed Yvonne Sova in Utah, where Mike earned a degree in business at the LDS Business College. The Bryants went to California where Mike Bryant earned his mortuary science degree. After his graduation the family returned to Wyoming, this time Buffalo, where Mike Bryant began working for Adams Funeral home under owner Dave Harness.

In 1995 he had the opportunity to return to his hometown and “serve the community he grew up in,” Yvonne Bryant said.

The couple served the community together for 22 years before Mike passed away Aug. 31, 2017.

Mike Bryant was the licensed funeral practitioner for Bryant Funeral Home. Upon his death, Yvonne contracted with Denyce Reno of Powell to handle the licensed funeral practitioner duties which include the scientific preparation of the bodies for the funerals.

While Reno still helps out Bryant Funeral Home on occasion, in February 2018, Yvonne brought in Mike Cowan to be the funeral practitioner for the business. Cowan earned his license in 1992 and had been working at Atwood Family Funeral Directors in Basin until this opportunity arose.

In 2017, Yvonne Bryant also contracted with Legacy Tree Funeral Planning for pre-arranged funeral and cremation planning. Those duties have been taken on recently by Mike and Yvonne’s daughter Kendra Ware.

Ware is attending mortuary science college to earn her funeral director license and is working under Cowan for her apprenticeship. She said she is also working for funeral homes in Buffalo, Thermopolis and Riverton. “I’ll learn from all four funeral homes.”

“Right now I’m a pre-need specialist. I do all of the pre-planning for all four funeral homes. Here I do whatever my mom tells me to do.”

Ware moved back to Worland in 2018 in order “to be here for my mom.”

Initially she said working for the family business was not something she envisioned.

Losing her father and close friends who have lost loved ones and dealing with her daughter who has had heart complications has helped her understand grief in a way a lot of people cannot.

“I have that connection with people to help them go through [the grieving process] because of my experiences,” Ware said.

Ware is also a certified celebrant for Bryant Funeral Home. Kendra said as a celebrant she handles works with the family when they want to have a service that is non-denominational, non-religious and more of an opportunity to tell stories and celebrate the life of the loved one.

She said during the celebration there is a “take away” for people to take home to remind them to check in on those who have lost a loved one.

Dana Thomas rounds out the staff at Bryant Funeral Home as the administrative assistant.

OTHER CHANGES

Yvonne Bryant said, “I think COVID was a big eye opener for people in the funeral home industry. We needed to find a way to serve our families when we couldn’t gather and people did not have that network of support. We had to try to look for other ways.

“Having the team that I have now, everybody brainstormed the different things we could do. We did our best to help families through and be able to honor their loved ones.”

Kendra added people realized how important services are and having that closure during the grieving process.

“We are blessed in this community to have an outpouring of support,” Yvonne Bryant said, especially from all of the churches.

“Kendra is right the pandemic helped people to realize that having some type of closure, via a celebration of life or formal funeral service is really helpful when it comes to grieving,” Yvonne Bryant said.

Cowan said they are also seeing more celebrations rather than traditional funeral services and more canned music.

Ware added that they are doing more online services or videotaping for people to view later. “It’s nice for people who can’t come to the services.”

The facility has also undergone some changes with a partial remodel including new flooring and painting.

Ware said they are hoping to get back to having some seminars on pre-planning, estate planning and other topics that they used to conduct prior to the pandemic.

CHALLENGES

Cowan said one of the challenges for funeral home is working with families whose members are scattered across the country.

Yvonne Bryant added that it can be a challenge to make sure everyone’s wishes are brought forward and “we do our best to honor their loved one.”

Thomas added, “Every service and every family is different.”

Ware said, “Everyone’s grieving process is different.” Bryant added that everyone’s relationship with the lost loved one is different so the grieving process is going to be different.

Ware said a challenge for employees is to try and keep work at work and not bring it home, noting it is difficult because you take phone calls whenever families need you.

REWARDS

Ware said one of the rewards in working for a funeral home is being able to help families through the grieving process.

She said on the pre-planning side and one of the reasons she focuses on that is being able to give families a sense of relief of knowing that everything is taken care of and that they will not be a burden to the family when they die.

KROGMAN

Bryant Funeral Home has had military services in the past but none were quite the undertaking as the services for Lt. Ray Krogman whose remains were identified last year. Krogman was shot down in 1967 over Laos, while serving in the Air Force.

Bryant said the military gave the family options and they were selected for the honor.

They were contacted in early June for the services that occurred July 19 and July 21.

“It was a whole community that came together,” Cowan said, noting that community was from Billings, Montana, to Worland.

“It was quite the undertaking but everyone was so supportive and willing to help,” Ware said.

“My husband put his heart and soul into serving people. He loved this community. He did everything he could to build this community and help this community. It was a privilege to work side by side him and to be able to serve our friends and neighbors and people we didn’t even know, but to help them through some of the hardest times they will every go through,” Bryant said.

Having lost her parents, her husband has given her life experiences, Bryant said, “I very much desire to try to help others realize that they can take those baby steps to go on with life. It will never be the same but there are so many things that are worth going on for. Sometimes we just need a little help to recognize what those are.

“I have grown to love Worland and this community. I want to continue to serve this community. I am very grateful for the team that we have here. Each one brings a unique perspective and each one can touch a family and help a family in ways that the rest of us may not be able to.”