The Reverend Canon William Reid (Bill) Bryant, who served as Canon to the Ordinary for two bishops in the Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana, died February 3 after a brief illness. He was 87.
Raised in Shreveport, Bill was the son of Dr. Frank L. Bryant, Army veteran and respected surgeon at Tri-State Hospital (later Willis-Knighton), and wife Virginia. As a child, Bill briefly lived in Oak Ridge, Tennessee—the “secret city” of the Manhattan Project—and survived rheumatic fever thanks to early access to penicillin.
Bill graduated from C.E. Byrd High School in 1956, earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Louisiana State University in 1964 and an MBA from the University of Dallas in 1975. He served as president of Kappa Sigma’s Gamma chapter at LSU.
He moved to Dallas in 1962 and spent 29 years with the Carroll Company, a prominent chemical manufacturer and distributor, rising to Vice President and Technical Director. During the 1970s and 1980s, Bill helped establish Carroll as a leader in safety, regulatory compliance, and innovative formulation. He was active in numerous professional organizations, including the American Chemical Society and the American Institute of Chemists, and received a Distinguished Service Award from the Chemical Specialties Manufacturers Association in 1986.
Bill married Judy Bayliss, also of Shreveport, in 1966, and they welcomed Will and Anne shortly thereafter. The family resided in the Lake Highlands neighborhood of Dallas for more than 25 years.
Bill was an early advocate of jogging and aerobic fitness and a longtime member of the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas. Following an injury, he received one of the first total hip replacements in the United States under the care of prosthetics pioneer Dr. William C. Head.
A devoted Episcopalian, Bill worshiped at Church of the Good Shepherd and later at Church of the Transfiguration in Dallas. He and Judy were drawn to outreach ministries, especially for those experiencing poverty and homelessness. Through their work with Austin Street Shelter and other nonprofits, Bill was called to ordained ministry himself, completing seminary at the Anglican School of Theology while still working as a chemical engineer. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1989.
In 1995, Bill was called as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Minden, where he served for six years. Father Bill, as he became known, was a gifted minister, trusted counselor, and meticulous groundskeeper; an active civic leader, supporter of local businesses and cherished rabblerouser in the Minden Lions Club.
In later years, Father Bill was recognized for his ability to nurture and strengthen small congregations throughout Western Louisiana. As Canon for Congregational Vitality, he traveled across the diocese filling in where needed, documenting challenges, and following up with creativity and compassion. Many remember his extended service as priest-in-charge at St. James Episcopal Church in Shreveport and St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Monroe.
Father Bill is survived by his wife of 59 years, Judith Bayliss Bryant; his children, William Bayliss Bryant (Amy) of New Orleans and Virginia Anne Boone (Michael) of Kemah, Texas; seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and sister, Claire Goldsworthy Palmer. He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank Leytze Bryant and Virginia Reid Bryant; brothers, Frank L. Bryant Jr. and Jon Alan Bryant; and stepmother, Dorothy Goldsworthy Bryant.
Father Bill is remembered with gratitude for the many baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and celebrations of life for which he officiated and in many cases planned.
Two services will be held: Friday, March 6, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at St. Christopher Episcopal Church in League City, Texas; and Friday, March 27 at 11:00 a.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Minden, Louisiana. The Right Reverend Jacob W. Owensby, Bishop of Western Louisiana, will celebrate and preach at the March 27 service. Please use Minden Floral for any floral donations.
In accordance with Father Bill’s wishes, his interment will take place following the regular Palm Sunday service at St. John’s on March 29 at 10:30 a.m.
A career scientist and ordained minister, Father Bill believed that religion and science are not in conflict. He valued intellectual curiosity, tolerance, and compassion, and sought to live those commitments in both his professional and pastoral life. Please consider making a gift in memory of Father Bill to the Society of Ordained Scientists, Red River Radio, Wikimedia Foundation, or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.