Darrell Bryant

Darrell Eugene Bryant, 83, passed away peacefully at the University of Iowa Hospitals on April 24th, 2024. We think he did this on purpose to avoid having to make a decision in the pending presidential election.

He leaves behind five children, 9 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and a well-known fast food restaurant that serves a mean cheeseburger and senior coke at a reasonable price.

As a child, he walked to the old Morning Sun school where he exercised his free spirit freely. With great surprise to most of his teachers, he was offered a chance to move to Ellsworth, Iowa and live with his former teacher, Lorainne Gorder. He credits her for seeing the potential he had to attend Ellsworth Community College, where he became salutatorian of his class. He was proud that he went on to attend Iowa State University where he earned a degree in Chemistry.

With his degree in Chemistry in hand, he volunteered for the United States Air Force at the ripe old age of 23. As a Captain in the Air Force, he was in charge of managing the logistics of nuclear weapons during the Vietnam War. He realized after extensive travel, marriage, and 2 children, that he didn’t much like being bossed around.

Darrell returned to Morning Sun where he believed it was the best place to raise children. He used his degree to work at the Ordinance Plant in Middletown, Iowa, where he was a supervisor. At the same time, he was fostering what would become Bryant’s Apple Orchard. With much strategy, hard work and teamwork from Barb, he was able to become self-employed at the apple business for over 50 years. After many years of self- employment, he went on to manage the Laboratory and Waste Water at Tyson Foods in Columbus Junction, Iowa. After his retirement from Tyson, he and Barb were able to take many journeys in and out of the United States.

Darrell was well renowned for his lack of patience, and his ability to educate his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren on his various views of their problem at hand. His tenacity was obviously taken from his mother, Eulalie.

He was genuine to a fault. Those he loved, he loved and cared for deeply. Being a continuous teacher, he taught his children and grandchildren his highly extensive vocabulary of curse words. He particularly liked four letter words as much as he liked looking at all things involving nature, like his dad Max, and continuously learning. He was an accomplished cook. He spent many hours studying his extensive cookbook to improve his abilities. Unfortunately for us he had no taste or smell. Darrell specialized in dried beans with little taste and homemade bread.

He will be sorely missed by his children: Dale E. Bryant, Kimberly (Metzger) Wenger and son-in-law David, Kathy (Bryant) Holtkamp, Amy (Metzger) Hamilton, and Cris (Metzger) Richardson and son-in-law Jeff; grandchildren: Kenna (Springsteen) Freudiger, Kala Holtkamp, Andrea (Hamilton) Horton, Jena (Holtkamp) Meinderding, Tabitha (Bryant) Fisk, Darrell J. Bryant, Maci Richardson, Bryant Holtkamp, and Emma Richardson; and great-grandchildren: Kaden Fisk, Noah Fisk, Tucker Fisk, Natalie Fisk, Raelynn Fisk, Emerald Fisk, Justin Horton, Bradley Horton, Allison SpringsteenFreudiger, Kaiden Holtkamp, Ophelia Meinderding,nd Eulalie Bryant; Brother, Dwayne; and grandson, Joshua, all who loved him dearly.

Following his wishes, there will be no service. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2024, from 4:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. at the Morning Sun School Cafeteria. Memorials have been established for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House in Burlington.

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