Jeanne Kay Bryant

Jeanne Kay (Patenaude) Bryant passed away on August 21, 2021, at the age of 82. During the past year and a half of medical events she fought back with grace and dignity. Regardless of her condition she always had her smile, her whit, and charm.

Jeanne was born in Arcata and attended local schools and Humboldt State College, receiving her elementary school teaching credential. While at Humboldt State she met her husband, Patrick Bryant. Jeanne and Patrick were married in 1957 at St. Albans Church in Arcata.

Jeanne spent her career enriching and mentoring the lives of children at multiple schools. Besides finding creative ways of using play and art for children to learn, she shared these lessons with her grandchildren and their friends. Vacations with her grandchildren were coupled with travel, adventures, and history lessons. Not only did Jeanne teach and raise children, she and Patrick always had an open door at their house for their children’s friends. Multiple friends stayed days, months or even years and judgement was never passed.

During their first fifteen years of marriage, weekends were spent at dance clubs, camping, and house boating on Trinity Lake with friends and family. Later after retiring, they lived in Willow Creek and tended the summer garden growing some of the sweetest tomatoes you ever tasted Having retired early they had the opportunity to travel to thirty-seven countries. The final years were spent in Eureka to be near family.

Jeanne was preceded in death by her parents, Arthur and Bethyl Patenaude, her husband Patrick Bryant, her sister Marlene Hover and brother- in-law, William Hover, her great-grandson Brayden Ford and his father, Travis Ford.

Jeanne is survived by her two children Linda (Fred) Sundquist, Mike (Nanci) Bryant, her grandchildren, Renee Ford, Andy (Catherine) Sundquist, Zack Bryant (Nikki Shaieb) and her great-grandchildren Jeran Ford, Chezney Sundquist and Preslee Sundquist. Nieces, Tamee (Pete) Hover, Bethyl Hover, and nephew Willie (Donna) Hover.

A special thank you to Gabby, Mandy and staff at Timber Ridge, and Scotty at Hospice for their care and dedication during her illness. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to Hospice of Humboldt or The Brayden Allen Ford Foundation, in care of Humboldt Area Foundation.

A celebration of life will be held at a future date.