Lovina Bryant (1935-2024)

AUBURN – Lovina Margaret Bryant (née, Irish), 88, of East Wilton, passed away peacefully early Friday morning on January 12, 2024, at Androscoggin Hospice House in Auburn, Maine.

She was born on July 20, 1935, in Worthley Pond, Peru, Maine. She was born to parents Cephus J. E. Irish and Cecilia M. Irish (née, Rondeau) and her late older brother Cephus Rondeau “Junior” Irish who passed away in 2017.

She married the late William Craig “Bill” Bryant Sr. whom she was married to for 57 years before his death in 2010. William and Lovina had 10 children.

She lived in Peru, Maine; Fort Meade, Maryland; Rumford, Maine; Canton, Maine and East Wilton, Maine.

Lovina loved Jesus and she had a strong faith and a life of service to Jesus. She served faithfully at multiple churches over her life including Peru Baptist, Wayside Bible Baptist, Fayette Baptist, East Wilton Union, and Calvary Hill Baptist. She served in Awana, the nursery, taught Sunday school, and in addition, hosted Bible studies, mentored others, hosted prayer meetings and many other ministries. She sponsored and prayed for many missionaries. Lovina loved to study the Bible and talk about what she was learning with others.

Lovina loved children and had a huge impact on many children and young people for Jesus. Not only did she serve in the local church, Lovina was also a major part of CEF (Child Evangelism Fellowship) in Maine and hosted a Good News club for many years in Canton and ran Bible clubs around the area during the summers. She gave every child a Bible who came to her club. She also served many summers at camp Good News. She served as a teacher and helper at multiple Christian schools for more than 25 years, namely Wayside Christian School, Fayette Christian School and Mexico Christian School.

Lovina loved her community and did many acts of service and helped many in need in her community. Her home was always open, and she was available to care and help others. You never knew who you would find on the couch needing refuge for a night or so. She was famous for her Halloween candied apples.

Lovina loved sweets, especially chocolate. You always knew what to get her for a gift because you couldn’t go wrong with chocolate. She was also an amazing baker, baking whoopie pies and all kinds of desserts, but was most famous for her pies.

Lovina loved genealogy and had put years into gathering information especially on the Irish and Bryant families and found much joy in knowing the stories of the people of our family’s lineage.

Lovina loved her family. She had 10 children, 21 grandchildren and 28 great grandchildren. She loved to spend time with each of them and often hosted gatherings at her home. She spent time with many visiting them at their sporting events or other functions. She sent cards to all her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren for every Christmas, each of their birthdays, Easter, and other holidays. She loved to play games with her family, and she was always available for a call and time for encouragement and love.
She was most known by her grandchildren and great grandchildren for her apple pie, playing games with her, and for her love for Jesus.

Lovina lived a full and impactful life of faith, family, love and service. She impacted hundreds of people personally and many thousands more through the lives she touched. She came to know that God loved her and made a way for her to be forgiven and accepted by Him through believing in His son Jesus when she was in her early 20’s. Since then, she made it her mission to let as many people as she could know about Jesus as well and she would want you to know and follow Jesus also.

She was a tremendous wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, mentor, teacher, friend and an example for all who knew her. Her legacy lives on through the people she has touched and who have had the privilege of knowing her. She was confident that now she is with Jesus and would want you to know Him and find the forgiveness, hope, and peace that He offers.

Lovina is survived by her 10 children, Cecilia “Cyndi” Corey and her husband Ron, William Bryant Jr., Mark Bryant and his wife Diane, Melody Lurz, Roscoe Bryant and his wife Elisabeth, Bruce Bryant, Caleb Bryant and his wife Lisa, Joy Olson and her husband Steve, Nathan Bryant and his wife Jennifer, and Philip Bryant and his wife Elizabeth. She is survived by her 21 grandchildren, Marcus Corey and his wife Heidi, Rebekah Malcore and her husband Jed, Noah Bryant and his wife Jen, Joshua Bryant, Adam Bryant and his wife Dimitra, Sadie Madigan and her husband Joseph, Karen Boudet and her husband Adam, Sharon Tedeschi and her husband Evan, Lanette Bryant, Larissa Bryant, Logan Bryant, Sean Bryant and his wife Kelly, Lindsey Bryant, Addie Olson, Isaiah Bryant, Micah Bryant, Lydia Fikejs and her husband Timothy, Ana Bryant, Alissa Bryant, Elijah Bryant, and Josiah Bryant. She is survived by her 28 great grandchildren Abishai Corey, Haddie Corey, Jesse Corey, Braxton Malcore, Kensley Malcore, Lincoln Malcore, Hudson Malcore, Sarayah Malcore, Lexi Bryant, Maggie Bryant, Clara Bryant, Adri Bryant, Diam Bryant, Isabella Madigan, Norah Jane Madigan, Ellie-Rose Boudet, Garrett Tedeschi, Freya Tedeschi, Zion Bryant, Eden Bryant, Lydia Bryant, Matthias Bryant, Isaiah Bryant, Chase Wade, Levi Berry, Lucy Fikejs, Macie Fikejs, and Charlie Fikejs.

Lovina is survived by her 7 sisters-in-law, Florence “Flo” Haynes, Patricia “Pat” Wing, Elizabeth Bryant, and Paula Benoit, Gail Haskell, Linda Sandberg, and Billie Howard-Goldsmith. She is survived by her brother-in-law, John Bryant.

Family and friends are invited to Lovina’s visitation on Saturday, January 20, 2024, at the Farmington Baptist Church, 194 Whittier Rd, Farmington, ME from 11am until 12pm, at which time her funeral service will take place. A luncheon will follow immediately after the service. Feel free to bring any homemade items made by Lovina to be on display at the funeral, please contact Sue Mitchell 207-778-3426. A graveside service will be held this spring in the family lot at East Peru Cemetery.

The family requests that In lieu of flowers please donate to:
Scholarship for a Week at Camp Good News
413 Camp Ground Road
Livermore Falls, ME 04254

Family and friends are invited to share special memories, reflections or words of sympathy in Lovina’s Book of Memories at www.wilesrc.com. Honored to be caring for the family of Lovina Bryant is Wiles Remembrance Center of Farmington.