FreshMinistries celebrates the life of Michael Bryant

Michael Lee Bryant, who dedicated his life to social justice and improving the lives of the poor, died Nov. 11, 2006, in Jacksonville, Fla. He was 62.

He died while trimming brush and cleaning up around the Springfield neighborhood, where he had spent years working on housing and economic restoration.

A viewing is planned for 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15 at St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, 256 E. Church Street, Jacksonville. A celebration of his life will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the cathedral, with a reception to follow.

Michael was born Jan. 8, 1944 in Woodbury, N.J., the son of Betsy and John Bryant, and moved to Cocoa, Fla. as a young child. He was the star tackle of the Fighting Tigers of Cocoa High School, where he was president of his senior class.

He graduated from Duke University with a bachelor’s degree in 1966 and earned a Juris Doctorate from University of Florida College of Law.

After passing the Florida Bar exam, he taught law at University of Florida and practiced law in Gainesville, where he also owned a cheese and wine store. He was the corporate lawyer for Rawson Development Corp., the owner of the former Pantry Pride.

Michael moved to Jacksonville in 1985 to work in real estate development. He and business partner Jack Walsh developed real estate in Springfield for several years before he joined FreshMinistries in 1995 as director of the new Urban Initiatives division.

He developed the majority of the organization’s urban programs that address poverty through economic development. As FreshMinistries grew, Mr. Bryant was named vice president of domestic programs.

Known for his tenacity, unwavering commitment and ability to keep partnerships working together toward common goals, he was largely responsible for the development and launching of Beaver Street Enterprise Center, which is home to start-up businesses in an economically distressed district in Jacksonville. The center opened in 2003 and has received national recognition.

He also led the completion of the restoration of the historic Klutho building on North Main Street, which helped fuel the redevelopment of Springfield’s business district.
He pioneered FreshMinistries’ Eastside Housing initiative to bring affordable, safe housing into Jacksonville’s impoverished areas and helped found the Eastside Environmental Council to address environmental and pollution concerns in urban neighborhoods.

“Michael’s passion and purpose was to bring positive changes to the lives of core-city residents,” said The Rev. Dr. Robert V. Lee III, chairman and C.E.O. of FreshMinistries. “He was a tireless advocate of social change and justice, and he was much admired throughout the community for his dedication.”

He served on the board of trustees of First Coast Family and Housing Foundation and was a founding member of HabiJax (Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville). He was a founding board member of Jacksonville Housing Partnership and was a member of Interfaith Council of Jacksonville and National Conference for Community and Justice.

He was a founding member of ICARE (Interchurch Coalition for Action, Reconciliation and Empowerment).

He also served on the board of The Sanctuary on 8th Street, the Mayor’s Urban Core Citizens Planning Advisory Committee and as treasurer of Core City Business Incubators, Inc. He was immediate past president of Springfield Business Association,

He was a member of Episcopal Network for Economic Justice and on the steering committee of RealSense Prosperity Campaign.

He was named Advocate of the Year in 2004 for Minority Economic Development Week and was frequent guest speaker on topics relating to community building and micro-enterprise.

Michael was active in the Episcopal Church and served on the Millennium Development Goals committee for the Diocese of Florida.

He was a staunch opponent of the death penalty. He loved art and the theater and enjoyed playing adult-league basketball.

“Michael had a charitable and forgiving spirit,” said Jon Peterson, his life partner of 30 years. “He lived his life in a joy-filled way and gave us all an example of what it means to put community ahead of self.”

In addition to Peterson, survivors include his sister Bari Bryant of St. Petersburg Beach; aunt Barbara Cafarelli of Melbourne; and several cousins.

In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to the Michael Bryant Youth Mentoring Fund, FreshMinistries, 1131 North Laura Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206

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