ROBERT C. BRYSON

ROBERT C. BRYSON, of Fort Wayne, passed away Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014 after a long illness. He was born Feb. 12, 1917, in Eccles, W. Va., and grew up in Beckley, W. Va. A veteran of World War II, where he served in the U.S. Army, he graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., before moving to Fort Wayne in 1954. He worked at New York Life Insurance Co., where he was a pioneering agent in the city's life insurance industry. Challenging the gender barrier in sales, he mentored women agents. He won numerous awards, and worked actively until his retirement in 1997, at age 80. He was known for his dawn swims, hitting the pool at 5 a.m. every morning into his mid 90s. Through a skydive in 2008, he earned the distinction of being the oldest person to tandem skydive in Indiana, and the third-oldest in the country. "He reasoned that if the parachute failed and he hit the ground hard enough, he would save on burial expenses". He was active in the American Civil Liberties Union. "He was a friend to the friendless". Surviving are his son, Neil (Nancee) Bryson of Fort Wayne; daughter, Elaine (Ted Yasuda) Siegel of Evanston, Ill.; daughter-in-law, Rebecca Lawson of Moundsville, W. Va.; five grandsons, Peter Bryson of Virginia, Scott (Amanda Sarasien) Bryson of Fort Wayne, Aaron Bryson, of Carmel, Ind., Aaron Lawson of Moundsville, W. Va., and Myles Yasuda of Evanston, Ill.; and two granddaughters, Denise Lawson, of Morgan-town, W. Va. and Toshiko Yasuda of Evanston, Ill. He was preceded in death by his wife, Anamae Ballard Bryson; and his son, the Rev. James Lawson of Moundsville, W. Va. Funeral service is 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014 at D.O. McComb & Sons Funeral Home, 1140 Lake Ave., Fort Wayne. Visitation is from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, 2014 at the funeral home. Memorial contributions to Fort Wayne Rescue Mission, 301 West Superior Street, Fort Wayne, (IN 46802). To view the online obituary, please go to www.domccombandsons.com