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HOWLAND -- Shawn L. Bryant, 61, died Sunday morning, March 10, 2019, after a courageous 12-year battle with cancer.
He was born in 1958, in Warren, the son of the late Jessie Lee Bryant and his wife, the former Frances Jean McKean.
He will be sadly missed by his wife, Kelly Maggiano Bryant; daughter, Kristin (Justin) Koper; his granddaughter, Emma Margaret; brother, Drew A. (Tina) Bryant; and two nieces, Hannah and Rachael of Columbia, S.C.; and his beloved pets, Spanky, Jiffy, Elsa, Peaches, Toby, Desi and Felix.
He was a 1976 graduate of Lakeview High School and became an Eagle Scout in Troop 50 of Bazetta. Service was always Shawn's calling, at the age of 16 he joined the junior firefighting program at the Bazetta Township Fire Department before leaving to attend Hiram College. In 1981, he worked at Lane Lifetrans in Austintown, where he became an intregral part of that team, being one of "Randy's Boys." During that time, he developed along with his partner, Don Bloom, the EMS Disaster Plan that was used during the devastating tornadoes of May 31, 1985. His love of fire service led him to a full-time job at the Howland Fire Department in 1983, where he was one of the first of five paramedics in Trumbull County. Answering the volunteer call again, he assisted his partner with the recovery of the victims of the USAir Flight 427 crash in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1994.
He retired on disability from Howland in 2006 due to a brain tumor.
Shawn was the type of person who could tell you to go to hell and make you enjoy the trip. He never allowed cellphones or social media to dictate his life and he had zero working knowledge of the Kardashians, but his passion was sports, especially football, as an avid follower of Ohio State. He was a member of the Warren Sports Hall of Fame and served as president from 2014 until this year. He served as chairman of the Niles Relay For Life for many years.
In 1987 he, along with his partner, Don Bloom, founded Penn Care. It started as two guys starting a business in Shawn's living room. "We had not a clue of what we were doing, but we kept forging ahead."
Shawn was president of Penn Care and provided many people in our Valley with jobs. "The company today is a far larger one than we could have ever imagined."
Tremendous and heartfelt thanks go to the truly exceptional nurses at Cleveland Clinic, who provided much more than nursing care for Shawn, but also provided a peaceful and compassionate environment during his transition from this life to the next.
The family wishes to thank Amanda Dempsey, Jimmy Williamson and Dr. Kwatra, Dr Rezaee, Dr. Machtay and staff for their care and compassion during his illness.
Calling hours for Shawn will be 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday and 10 to 10:45 a.m. before the funeral services 11 a.m. Friday, at the Packard Music Hall in Warren.
Material tributes may take the form of contributions to Animal Pawtectors, P.O. Box 303 Cortland OH 44410 or TNR of Warren, P.O Box 2477, Warren, Ohio 44484. Visit www.lanefuneralhomes.com to share memories and condolences.
As Shawn always says, "Go Bucks" and "Life is good."
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