Paul Wilson Bryan, Jr

Funeral services for Paul Wilson Bryan, Jr., 82, will be held at Trinity Anglican Church, Thomasville, GA at 11:00 am on Thursday, January 9. Following the service, the family will host visitors at a reception at Trinity Anglican Church. Paul passed away at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital on January 6, 2020. Paul was born on August 11, 1937 to parents Bertha Mae (Eddings) and Paul Wilson Bryan, Sr. of Dixie, GA. In 1955, he graduated from Thomasville High School and attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, where he played baseball and basketball. He then transferred to University of Georgia to play baseball. While there, he was a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) fraternity, and he also coached the men’s basketball team. After graduating from UGA in 1961 with a degree in Forestry Management, he returned to Thomasville and began his lifelong career of developing plantation land. He also owned and operated Metcalf Lumber Company for 33 years. Paul is survived by Lisa, his wife of 28 years, daughter Julie Moran (Rob) of Atlanta, son Thomas “Duke” Bryan (Cynthia) of Thomasville, stepson Ryan “Bo” Walthall (Jo) of Thomasville, and stepdaughter Lane Beatty (Blanding) of Nashville, TN. He is also survived by eight grandchildren, ranging in ages from 20 to one-year old, three sisters, one brother, and numerous nieces and nephews and their families. He was preceded in death by his parents, sister, Jeanette Bryan, and grandson Matthew Duke Bryan. Throughout his adult life, Paul was an athlete, an accomplished hunter, and an avid outdoorsman. For many years, he showed Tennessee Walking Horses and participated in field trials throughout the southeast. In his later years, Paul embraced his artistic talents, making custom hats with gamebird feathers and showing them at the Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival and Southeastern Wildlife Exhibition in Charleston, SC. In 2011, Abraham Baldwin Athletic College (ABAC) inducted Paul into its Athletic Hall of Fame. He was also an impassioned and active member of his community, a member of the Board of Trustees for Brookwood School, a supporter of the Boys & Girls Club of Brooks County, and a lifelong member of Ducks Unlimited. A charter member of Trinity Anglican Church, Paul was a man of strong Christian faith and supported many Christian- and youth-oriented organizations. In this spirit, the family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the South Georgia chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes: P.O. Box 466, Thomasville, GA 31799. Family and friends are invited to visit his online tribute page at www.allenfh.com