Rowland Bryant

Rowland Mester Bryant, 77, a former resident of Saugerties and Coila, NY; Sunderland, VT; Plainfield, CT; and Paulsboro, NJ died on Sunday, February 25th at his home in Sanford, Maine where he had resided since May 2019.

Born in Woodbury City, NJ on December 16, 1946, to the late Charles and Mary (Fisher) Bryant, he was the youngest of three children.

Rowland was a graduate of Paulsboro High School Class of 1965. He earned his Associates in Computers from RCA Technical (Cherry Hills, NJ) in 1967 and his Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from Columbia Pacific (Phoenix, AZ) in 1986.

He worked many jobs ranging from managing a group of twenty-two people doing refit installation and testing packages for Trident submarines in Newport, RI to owning and operating The Ira Allen House, a Country Inn in Sunderland, VT. He was also hotel manager at The Cambridge Hotel in Cambridge, NY and worked at Home Depot, Lowes, and Kohls.

On September 25, 1973, he married the former Sally Perry, with whom he had a wonderful life. With her by his side, they raised a family, ran the Inn, had an antiques shop, and saw many memorable concerts. He was a better person because he had her in his life.

On August 24, 2019, at their home in Sanford, Maine, he married the former Sandra Cole, who survives him.

Rowland loved animals and over his lifetime had several dogs including a Saint Bernard, poodle, rat terrier, yorkies and other mixed breeds, several cats and even a skunk.

His first car was a 1956 Chevy that he purchased when he was young. It was his pride and joy and he always wished he had kept the car.

He enjoyed painting watercolors of local barns, old schoolhouses, antique railroad stations and whatever else caught his eye. He was a woodworker and built his own shop at the house in Coila and converted the garage at the house in Sanford into his workspace. His love for cooking came from his mother and he was always ready to try something new he saw online or develop his own recipe. His sense of humor was larger than life and he could always find a way to make you smile, laugh or groan.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Bryant is survived by a son, Todd (Brandi) in Radcliff, KY; 2 grandchildren, Mackenzie Shreve in Gallatin, TN;  and Griffin in Perry, OH; 2 great-grandchildren, Tristian James Shreve and Emry Leigh Shreve in TN; a stepson, Shawn (Jennifer) Conway in Red Hook, NY; a brother, Charles (Janet) Bryant in Voorhees, NJ; many nephews, nieces, and cousins; his close family friend, Ashley Roefs in Long Beach, CA; and his furry, four-legged buddy, Munchkin. He was predeceased by his parents and a sister, Barbara.

Cremation is under the direction of Black Funeral Homes in Springvale, ME.

A Celebration of Rowland’s Life will be held at Dapson-Chestney Funeral Home, 51 West Market Street, Rhinebeck, NY on Saturday, March 9, 2024, from 12pm to 2pm. The words somber and mournful were not part of Rowland’s vocabulary and he wanted guests to come in, meet other guests and share stories about him.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Rowland to his favorite charity, St. Jude’s Childrens Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis TN 38105.

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