James Bryan Fawcett

James Bryan Fawcett died peacefully just before sunrise Monday morning. His wife Mary was at his side, at the Beckett House in New Concord where he had lived since he experienced a debilitating stroke in June, 2010. He was 89. In addition to Mary, his wife of nearly 68 years, he leaves sons David and Darrel (Tina), grandson Bo, granddaughter Nikki (Dave) Ferrara,new great-granddaughter Rylee Ann, sister-in-law Fran Culbertson, and many important nephews and nieces scattered throughout the country. Bryan’s life changed dramatically seven years ago when the stroke resulted in loss of his independence and the need to constantly rely on others for his care and basic needs. On his behalf, his family expresses deep gratitude to all those many individuals who provided care and comfort and became so critically important to him in his final years. Despite his impaired condition, Bryan continued to enjoy his life, and was aided in this by his real talent and skill of being always able to find the positive side of any situation. He loved to laugh, and he maintained his good sense of humor through it all. He valued people and enjoyed the company of his immediate and extended family, friends, former co-workers, and caretakers. He enjoyed listening to live music performed by groups who came to the Beckett House and was a big fan of the Cambridge City Band. Going to the band’s summer concerts at the pavilion in the city park was one of his very favorite things to do. He loved movies, coney dogs and root beer at Theo’s, sundaes at Tom’s Ice Cream Bowl, and hamburgers with mustard and onion from anywhere.He looked forward tofrequent car outings in New Concord, Cambridge and surrounding area, and also to Beverly, OH where his parents lived in their early years, met, and married. He enjoyed riding past locations which would bring back memories of people and events that were important in his life. Being with him on these drives was often like being with an historian and tour guide who clearly loved his hometown and the area where he had spent his life. Bryan was born in New Concord in 1928 to Guy A. and Blanche Powers Fawcett, who had thought that their days of baby bottles and diapers were long past, as their older children Virginia, Mildred, and John were 18, 14, and 12 when he was born. Despite the difference in age, he was very close to his older brother and sisters and remained very connected to them throughout their lives. As a boy growing up in New Concord Bryan delivered morning and evening newspapers, often accompanied by his dog Annie, mowed lawns, and enjoyed the early years of what would become cherished lifelong friendships with classmates Bill “Louie” Carlos and Thad Lorimer, both now gone. Perhaps most significantly in his early years, Bryanlearned the printing trade from his father who owned and operated the Co-op Printshop. He worked part-time in the shop with his dad during high school and full-time after graduation in 1946. Shortly after Guy’s untimely death in early 1951, Bryan was hired by mentor Russell Hartill to work at Lilienthal’s Southeastern Printing Company in Cambridge. From that point Bryan devoted the following 42 years of his working life to printing and to Southeastern. After Hartill’s death in the mid-50s, Bryan gradually replaced him as the shop supervisor and remained head of operations through his retirement from the company in 1993. Bryan enjoyed and was committed to his work, and he made many lasting friendships with co-workers at the shop and also with people who worked in the many other community businesses and organizations that were customers of Southeastern. Though they later remembered sitting across the aisle from one another as young children with their families in the United Presbyterian Church in New Concord, it was not until they were sophomores at New Concord High School in the early forties that Bryan met Mary Culbertson. The two quickly became a couple, graduated together in 1946 and married in 1949 in Claysville where they lived for a few years with Mary’s mother Ethel until they and their two young boys were able to set up houseon their own down the street in the mid-50s. Throughout their lives together the two of them were not only man and wife, but also best friends, totally devoted to one another, and rarely apart. Bryan and Mary were devoted lifelong members of the Claysville United Methodist Church where they were married. They served the church in various roles over the years-- communion stewards, board members, Sunday School teachers and Bryan, Sunday School Superintendent—and attended faithfully as long as their health allowed. Bryan served as a trustee on the Board of the Guernsey County District Public Library from 1974 to 1995, and was the board’s president during the construction of the library addition in 1976. He served on the Board of the Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center from 1976-1995 and on the Guernsey Health System’s Board of Trustees from 1986-1995.He was an active member and sometime officer of the New Concord High School Alumni Association and the Class of 1946. In 2011 he was recognized for 50 years service toGuernsey County’s Republican organizations,having beenover time a Central Committeeman, a member of the Executive Committee, and active in the Republican Club. In the fall of 1988 he was honored to represent Ohio as a member of the Electoral College when, under the direction of then Secretary of State Sherrod Brown, the group met in the Ohio Statehouse senate chambers to cast their ballots for newly elected President George H. W. Bush. Visitation will be at Bundy-Law Funeral Home on Thursday, August 17, 2017 from 6 to 8 pm. Bryan's funeral service will be held at Claysville United Methodist Church on Friday, August 18, 2017 at 1 pm. Phillip Walker and Pastor Keith Taylor will officiate the service with burial to follow in Zion Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity of one's choice. Bryan's online tribute wall may be viewed and signed at www.bundy-lawfuneralhome.com.

James Bryan Fawcett

April 6, 1928 - August 14, 2017