- Date Of Birth: February 12, 1936
- Date Of Death: May 2, 2022
- State: Florida
Norma Jean Spicer Bryant, 86, was the loving, kind, assertive, no nonsense, whip you into shape wife of John Wesley “Pete” Bryant Jr. They resided in Kissimmee, Florida when she went home to be with the Lord unexpectedly, yet peacefully, on Monday, May 2, 2022 at Osceola Regional Medical Center.
She was born in Erie, Pennsylvania on February 12, 1936, to the late Jean (Hynek) and John Inter. She grew up in a busy household of 6 children, 4 boys and 2 girls. She often reflected on the household’s temperament when she would fondly refer to her mom as “the general” since she always kept the goings on of the home in check, especially the children.
Norma was married to Richard Spicer and was later widowed in 1984. She worked as a business recruiter in Houston Texas when she met a fast-talking southern farm boy named Pete. He recalls that he spotted her from across a honky tonk when he told his buddies that he was going to take that girl to the rodeo the following weekend. From then the story “was history” as Norma would say. They fell in love and married on June 24, 1988. They were the type of couple that was always together and the best of friends. They loved their lives and always worked and played hard. She was a woman that was a fashionable dresser, had an eye for color, and a flair for putting it all together. She could effortlessly host an event or get together like no other as she shared her love for cooking serving delicious meals while at the same time enjoyed the companionship of beloved friends and family making the get together a joyous success from beginning to end. Everyone that was blessed to know her would say she was organized, self-assured and was never caught at a loss for words.
After Norma and Pete retired, they took to the road and RV’ed together for 5 years. She would grill meals and they could strike up conversations with friends they met along the way. Their passion for the outdoors, being together, and seeing the country fueled the adventure. They both have reflected on those times as many of the happiest they have shared. But, that was only the doorway to the next chapter. Pete tells the story that when they were traveling down the US western coast, they decided to head to Florida to see MLB’s spring training camp games. There they fell in love with Kissimmee and have lived there since.
Her friends cite that “her door was always open to serve up a good meal” and she “always had an opinion over glasses of wine to solve the world’s problems in the Chat Room”. Her love of and high energy for politics and sports was always apparent during the deep and often spicy conversations held within their slice of paradise…their home’s Florida room. She could give the most avid fan a run for their money with her knowledge of the various sports teams and players. Norma and Pete would most often watch their favorite teams battle it out as they cheered them on all while entertaining their own game playing “Solitaire”. Pete had designed a scorecard to keep track of their rounds as they played the computer game head-to-head. He had originally designed it during their times on the road but their love for the competition lived for years. Pete says that she always wanted to go first but he didn’t mind because he would let her have it when it came his turn.
Norma was survived by her loving devoted husband, Pete and her three stepchildren, Donella “Donnie” (Mike) Whalen, Teresa “Teri” (Tim) Johnson, and Gail “Lori” (Seth) Buso. She was also survived by her seven grandchildren: Bryant Cantrell, Elizabeth Johnson, Zachary Johnson, Allison Arnett, Katelyn (Andrew) Jordan, Jackson Arnett, Natalie Arnett, and one great-grandchild, Ava Greer.
