STEPHANIE JO BRYAN

"I did not wish to take a cabin passage, but rather to go before the mast and on the deck of the world, for there I could best see the moonlight amid the mountains." - Henry David Thoreau Stephanie Jo (Cox) Bryan, 52, died in her North Kansas City home on July 6, 2014. To the people who knew Stephanie, this seems almost impossible as she was one of the most fundamentally alive people on the face of the earth. Some people are said to be active in their church or in their community or in a sport. Stef was just simply active. She bicycled hundreds of miles, she played trombone in practically any ensemble she could find, she meditated, she read good books, she stood out in the rain, she went sledding in the dark. She took up her life with both hands, and in it she seemed fearless. She could not only ride a bicycle up a mountain, she could get other people to go along with her and like it. And goodness, she was fun to be around. Her sense of the ridiculous was exquisite. She was the first to wear the silly glasses, the first to make a witty comeback, the first to test the water in the pool, the first to laugh at a good joke. But Stephanie's playfulness was grounded by a calm and deliberate wisdom. She taught her many students to play trombone better than they ever knew they could. More, though, she taught them how to go out in the world with joy and confidence. As a practicing Buddhist, she regularly participated in silent retreats and daily meditation. She was almost entirely without drama. She trusted that the people she loved could confront their demons, and had the courage to look within herself to vanquish her own. She loved deeply, and let go gracefully. She was one of the great joys in the lives of everyone who knew her. Stephanie was born and raised in Bethany, Mo., where she enjoyed a childhood with friends and family. She graduated first in her class from Bethany High School in 1980. From there, she attended the UMKC Conservatory of Music, receiving a degree in trombone performance in 1985. An accomplished musician, Stephanie was a mainstay in the Kansas City music scene for many decades, performing with the Kansas City Symphony, Lyric Opera, Kansas City Ballet, Starlight Theater and her own group, the Brookside Brass Quintet. She was a member of the KC Jazz Orchestra, St. Joseph Symphony, Northland Symphony, Liberty Symphony, and Kansas City Brassworks. Stephanie was also a much-loved teacher to her many students at Washburn University, William Jewell College and in her home. Stephanie leaves behind her husband, Douglas Bryan of North Kansas City, as well as her father and mother, Isaac and Barbara Cox of Bethany. She also leaves her sisters, Toni Million, Los Angeles, Calif., and Debra Moulin, Bethany, her brothers, Isaac Lee and Phil Martz, both of Bethany, her aunt, Patricia Hendren, Grandview, Mo., and numerous nieces and nephews. A memorial/celebration of life will be held 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10, at the Center for Spiritual Living, 1014 W. 39th St., Kansas City.