Obituary of Ralph M Bryant

Ralph M. Bryant, Jr., a retired advertising executive died Saturday, October 23rd. He was 88. Born in 1922 in Paterson, NJ Mr. Bryant grew up in Fair Lawn with his parents, Ralph Sr. and Ruth, and brother Donald. He enjoyed visiting their summer home at Pines Lake in Wayne, NJ. There were many family gatherings at the log cabin on Mohawk Trail. As a child Mr. Bryant built a crystal radio, which in turn led to him meeting the requirements for a ham radio license. He attended Hawthorne High School, then later Cooper Union. During World War II Mr. Bryant enlisted in the Marine Corps, using his experience as a ham radio operator, he served as a Radar Technician with a radar crew. He was stationed in Bougainville in the South Pacific. During leave in New Zealand Mr. Bryant stayed with a family who became life-long friends. He served in the Marines from 1942 to 1945 as Technical Sergeant. Mr. Bryant met his wife, Dorothy Eckley, also a Marine, after he was back in the states. They were married in 1946, settling into the log cabin at Pines Lake, then later on Balsam Road where they raised three children. Mr. Bryant received a bachelor degree from Rutgers in 1949. Because of his artistic talent and writing proficiency, he was drawn to the advertising field. He worked for several advertising agencies in NYC from the 1950's through early eighties. He made many lifelong friends working for ad agencies such as Donahue. & Co., Ries Cappiello Colwell, and BBDO. Mr. Bryant was one of the founders of the Wayne Hills High School Patriots Club, serving as president in 1968. While his two sons were in high school he was a leader with Sea Scouts, spending weekends camping with them. He was also an avid sailor with the Pines Lake Sailing club. From the 1960's until around age 85, each Sunday in summer he raced in the duster class. Mr. Bryant was a past commodore of the sailing club. From his youth throughout his life Mr. Bryant was a ham radio operator. He kept a Saturday morning schedule with many friends and family and also talked to people all over the world. The radio equipment went on every vacation so that he could maintain his schedules and he was often seen walking around with a two meter rig in his hand. After his wife died in 1990, Mr. Bryant met Rose Marie Lospinoso while on a Pines Lake Seniors outing. They shared common interests in art and past work in advertising, as well as having raised their children at Pines Lake. Mr. Bryant was a past president of the Pines Lake Seniors Club and enjoyed many trips and luncheons with the club. Ralph and Rose Marie had many happy years together at a lake-front house on Pines Lake Drive West, then more recently at Cedar Crest in Pompton Plains. They traveled all over the world together visiting New Zealand, China, Hawaii, Alaska, Egypt, and many other places. Mr. Bryant also joined the amateur radio club at Cedar Crest. Mr. Bryant is survived by his beloved partner, Rose Marie Lospinoso, his two sons, Gary and Joyce of Southington, CT, and Thomas and Mary of Melrose, MA; a daughter, Susan and Michael Conley of Reading, MA; Rose Marie's daughter and son, Joan and Norman Graff, and Thomas Lospinoso and Eileen Fox. He is also survived by 13 grandchildren from both families. Visiting hours will be 2-5pm on Saturday, October 30th. There will be a service at 4:30pm. Relatives and friends will gather on Sunday at 10am at the funeral home with burial at Laurel Grove Memorial Park in Totowa at 11am.