In Memoriam: Marcus Darrol Bryant

In Memoriam: Marcus Darrol Bryant

Marcus Darrol Bryant

March 13, 1942 – March 1, 2025

With sad but full hearts we announce the passing of Darrol Bryant after several months of declining health.

Beloved husband of Susan Hodges Bryant, father extraordinaire to Ben (Isabel), Jessica, Lucas (Kirsty) and Emma (Clinton). Extra proud grandfather of Ethan, Kayla, Zoe, Sloane and Sydney. Their nickname for him was Grandpa Yeti.  Also cherished by his in-laws Fred, Connie and Rosemary Hodges and the Bagale family.

He was the eldest of four children born to Alex and Debe (Hendrickson) Bryant. Missing his gentle guidance are his twin sisters Sherryl Roth (Roger) and Sherry Bryant, and his brother Kim Bryant (Anne), as well his many nieces and nephews.

Born in Pasco, Washington, during the Second World War, Darrol was a gentle soul raised in Rolla, North Dakota– a tight-knit family farm community under a big blue sky on the plains.

While treasuring his roots (his childhood nickname was “Cowboy”), Darrol was destined to travel far and wide. He left Rolla to attend Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. After studying philosophy and religion, he went on to obtain a Master of Divinity degree at Harvard University. There he encountered all streams of Christianity as well as major scholars of Islam and Hinduism, awakening his life-long dedication to interfaith dialogue. After graduating from Harvard, he worked for the Lutheran World Federation in Geneva, Switzerland, on a youth project that took him to almost every country in South America. In that role he experienced the powerful effects of liberation theology in helping the poor and oppressed find a way to improve their lives.

Darrol then settled happily in Canada, accepting a teaching post at Wilfrid Laurier University and completing a doctoral program at St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto. While in Toronto, he met Susan, his wife of almost 50 years. In 1973, he became a professor of Religion and Culture at Renison College at the University of Waterloo where he remained until his retirement in 2005. Darrol was awarded the honour of Distinguished Professor Emeritus.

While having authored or edited over 25 books and organized dozens of international conferences, his abiding legacy will be among students and fellow trail blazers committed to interfaith dialogue. He was a gifted academic, yet he repeatedly emphasized that dialogue is more than the exchange of ideas. It also involves the experience of engaging one another, of participating in one another’s religious life, practice and rituals. His mission was to create dialogue and understanding among the world’s many religions through careful attention, kindness and inclusion.

Darrol traveled to India—and Korea and Japan—many times, forming fast friendships with scholars and practitioners in these communities. His great delight was guiding groups of students for a semester of study in India where he introduced them to life and people in Hindu ashrams, Sikh gurdwaras, Buddhist monasteries, and Islamic and Christian communities. He was always warmly received.

Darrol was a straight-up fellow, with absolutely no guile or personal agenda. His family, friends and students, who often travelled with him, appreciated his gentle ways, his cornball humor, and his deep wisdom. He was a source of joy whether in the classroom, around the card table, shooting hoops, or paddling in the Temagami wilderness.

The family so appreciates the skilled and compassionate support provided by the doctors, nurses, and caregivers for Darrol in the past few months.

As was his wish, cremation has taken place. There will be a commemoration in the spring, when we can gather and celebrate the many seeds that Darrol has planted in our hearts.

To honor Darrol, donations to Rension College (https://uwaterloo.ca/renison/) would be greatly appreciated.