Essie Lee Bryan was the second of 13 children born to John Bryan and Lena Carter Bryan on September 21, 1926, in Elkins, North Carolina, and she was the last living sibling until God gave her wings on February 11, 2022.

Essie was blessed to see 95 years on this earth! Her younger years were spent in North Carolina. When she was approximately 15 years old, her family moved to McKeesport PA.  Essie and her siblings were taught to believe in God's Power and Grace from a very young age. She made her relationship with God her life's focus. Singing spirituals and playing the piano was one of the joys of her life. As a young woman, she even pursued her musical talents in New York City, singing with the Kathryn Kulman choir. 

She was one of the founding members of Trinity Church of God In Christ in McKeesport, where she attended for most of her life. In her last years, she became a member of Bethlehem Baptist Church, where her Pastor, Reverend Earline Coleman, and the BB family embraced her with their love.

Anyone who knew anything about Essie knew that she was a praying woman. She prayed, prayed, and prayed more. It was nothing for her to stop mid-sentence, close her eyes and call on the Lord, usually saying " Lord, Jesus have Mercy". The family relied on Essie for prayer and spiritual guidance, believing that she and her sister Elizabeth Robertson could stop the devil, himself, with their collective prayer. 

Essie's life was simple, God first and family second. She loved spending time with her family. She did not have any biological children, but she raised her nephew, Freeman Moore when her sister Marie died at an early age. 

Her family will miss her pound cake and cornbread at family gatherings. Rest in God's Hands, Aunt Essie. You have been a Faithful Servant.

She was preceded in death by her mother Lena Bryan-Miller, father, John Bryan, brothers William, Jeff, Franklin, Ralph, Louis, Milton, and Arthur James Bryan; sisters Marie Moore, Elizabeth Robertson, Victoria Robertson, Lydia Bailey, and Delores Ailstock.    

Those left to cherish her memory, sister-in-law, Kathleen Bryan, of McKeesport, PA, Rozella Sayles, who was raised like a sibling, of McKeesport, PA., a host of devoted nieces, nephews, and other family members and friends.