Jane Bryant Obituary

Jane Packard Bryant died peacefully in her home, on June 19th, surrounded by family. She was 92 years old.
She was born Jane Salome Bill in Hanover, NH on November, 2nd, 1932. Her parents, Jenny and Moses Bill, owned a small dairy farm on Moose Mountain in East Hanover. Her grade school education in a one room schoolhouse was interrupted at age 11, when she chased a work horse out of the family's Victory Garden and got kicked over the fence. With her right leg shattered, she was brought for treatment to Mary Hitchcock Hospital, where she was among the first in NH's civilian population to receive penicillin, which saved her leg. The experience of an averted amputation, and the year-long hospital recuperation that followed, inspired in her a deep respect, appreciation, and interest in the field of medicine. This shaped her entire life. Dubbed "Jane the Brain" at Hanover High School, she continued on after graduation to attend Hartford Hospital School of Nursing in CT, earning her degree in 1953.
In that same year, she married Dr. Artemas John Wise Packard, and they had five children together, eventually moving to a farmhouse in Williston, VT - the same house in which she died 61 years later. Upon divorce, Jane raised all five daughters. During this time, she worked at the DeGoesbriand Hospital (UVMMC), organized Girl Scouting in Williston, and was president of the PTA. As her children aged, her career expanded. Taking a job at the Visiting Nurse Association in 1968, she traveled throughout Chittenden and Grand Isle counties, ministering to patients at all hours of the day and night. Simultaneously, she spent weekends in Boston to become certified as the first Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in the state of Vermont. She launched the Winooski Valley Family Health Clinic, under the Model Cities initiative, serving poor and under-privileged children and families.
Over the next 27 years, she applied her nursing skills as a Home Care and Maternal Health nurse, a school nurse, summer camp nurse, and lastly as a Hospice nurse for the Visiting Nurse Association. She ran Well-Child Clinics for the Vermont State Health Department and contributed to several local and state advisory committees, including the Vermont State Daycare Standards Advisory Committee, the Chittenden County Child Protection Team, and the Greater Burlington Child Abuse Team. Her gifts of empathy, humility, humor, her joie de vivre, and deep compassion were all in play when caring for her patients. This commitment to public health, as well as to issues of social equality, educational access, and protecting the environment inspired her to make a diligent but unsuccessful run for state legislative office in the mid 1980's.
In 1989, Jane married the love of her life, Cyrus Bryant. Their shared love of music, physics, and being active in the great outdoors brought them many years of adventures, explorations, and immeasurable happiness.
Jane was never one to sit still and always wanted to grow and learn! She explored alternative and traditional healing modalities; her interest in holistic approaches led her to become a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner and she had her own practice for several years.
She was a poet, a dowser, an environmentalist, and enjoyed hiking and skiing. She attended contra dances regularly, took classes in clogging, and became a belly dancer. Her professional and recreational interests took her to 3 continents - places she could only dream of as a little girl on Moose Mountain! She loved science, and was always interested in the latest developments in Physics and in Cosmology. Her life was always accompanied by music, and her tastes were expansive. She enjoyed playing piano, guitar, and clawhammer banjo, and, of course, singing. She loved to both make music and listen to it, but paramount was the sharing of it. She was a member of both the Burlington and Lamoille Choral Societies, as well as the Vermont Mahler Festival. Jane joined the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington in 1959, and served as Religious Education Director, participated in numerous committees, and sang in the choir for over 45 years. She was also instrumental in the design and implementation of the labyrinth on the church grounds.
When Jane walked into a room, everybody knew it! Her energy and smile would infuse any place, any space, any heart.
Surviving in sadness and joy is her soulmate and husband Dr. Cyrus Bryant, physicist, also children Dr. Sara Packard, Susan Sesera and husband Frank, Deborah Packard and partner Peter Cairney, Nancy Packard, Angela Packard-Bull and husband Braddock, Weylan (Woody) Bryant and wife Liz, 11 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren, sister Linda Austin and husband Ernest (Red), and brother-in-law Dr. Andrew (Du) Packard and wife Patricia. She was predeceased by her parents, Moses Bill, Sr. and Jenny Abbott Bill, sister Bonnita Carr and husband Lewis, and brothers Moses (Billy) Bill, Jr. and Kenneth Bill and wife Shirley. She will be remembered by many additional family members in the Bill and Packard families, and by those who were touched by her friendship.
Heart filled thanks from each member of Jane's family go to Dr. Alexandra Messerli, primary care physician, Judy Johnson, RN, and her team from UVM Home Health and Hospice who helped both Jane and her family adapt and navigate the unfolding path to her transition to what lies beyond.
A celebration of her life will take place at the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington on October 18th, at 1:30 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Vermont Public Radio, UVM Home, Health and Hospice, Parkinson's Disease research, or other charity of your choice. To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Jane, please visit our Tree Store.