Peggy L. Bryant

Bryant Hon. Peggy L. Bryant, passed away on Wednesday, August 7, 2013 with her family at her side after a 25 year battle with breast cancer filled with unassuming courage and grace. Peggy retired as the senior judge of the Franklin County Court of Appeals on July 31, her 62nd birthday, having been the longest serving appellate judge in Ohio history. She was the daughter of Ralph and Mary Bryant of Ashley, Ohio. She is survived by her husband, Tom Long; and son, Matt Long; her mother, Mary; brothers, Steve (Jan) Bryant of Bryson City, North Carolina and James Bryant (Michelle Keener) of Cincinnati; her nieces, Courtney Bryant and Brett Sweeney. Peggy graduated from Buckeye Valley High School. She then graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Miami University and graduated with honors from the Moritz College of Law at the Ohio State University where she met her husband Tom when they were partners on the National Moot Court Team. She began her professional career at Alexander, Ebinger, Holschuh, Fisher and McAlister where Lloyd Fisher, Patrick Smith, and the late Bob McAlister served as her mentors. She was appointed judge of the Franklin County Municipal Court by Governor Celeste in 1985 filling an unexpired term and won election later that year. Governor Celeste then appointed her to the Franklin County Court of Appeals in 1987. She was reelected to the Court of Appeals 5 times. For nearly 20 years she served as the Ohio Supreme Court tiebreaker on determining cases to be heard by the Court. At Chief Justice Moyer's request, she chaired the committee which developed Ohio's Rules of Professional Conduct. Beyond her professional career she was a devoted mother and wife. Peggy supported Tom in his many years as a volunteer swim coach, served as a volunteer in Matt's classrooms and even turned her kitchen into a gluten-free cooking experiment upon her son's development of food allergies, the most notable being her Matty B's cookies. She always welcomed all of Matt's friends and Tom's swimmers into their home. She was an active member of the St. Thomas More Newman Center on the OSU campus where she served as a lector, volunteered for the PreCana team and Food for the Homeless program, and helped organize the service programs that assisted families in Franklin County as well as those displaced in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. She was also active in the Columbus Cum Christo (Cursillio) movement having served as a rector and as a member of several teams. During her time as a judge in the Municipal Court she served on the House of Hope board. Calling Hours will be held at the SCHOEDINGER NORTHWEST CHAPEL, 1740 Zollinger Road in Upper Arlington on Sunday, August 11 from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. with a Cursillio service at 7:30 p.m. The Funeral Mass will be held at the St. Thomas More Newman Center, 64 West Lane Avenue, on Monday, August 12, 2013 at 10 a.m., followed by interment at Union Cemetery. Peggy wished to thank the physicians and staff at Mt. Carmel Medical Center and the Zangmeister Cancer Center, especially Drs. Mark Segal and Michael Cooney for the excellent care she received. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Newman Center Food for the Homeless Program, Columbus, OH 43201; Life Care Alliance, 1966 W. Mound St., Columbus, OH 43223; House of Hope, Inc., 825 Dennison Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215 or a charity of your choice, in her memory. Visit www.schoedinger.com to share condolences or a special memory with Peggy's family.