J. Shepard Bryan ’50

Shep died June 10, 2019.

Born in St. Louis, Mo., he graduated from St. Louis Country Day in 1943, and then enlisted in the Navy. He served on the aircraft carrier USS Lexington, receiving a commendation for his actions when a bomb hit the Lexington during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

At Princeton, where his father was in the Class of 1913, Shep majored in economics and was a member of Whig Clio, the Triangle Club, and Cottage.

His professional career started in sales with Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis, but he was soon transferred to the West Coast. After a hitch in manufacturing, he left Anheuser to join Fidelity’s investment group. He switched to investment counseling with a Los Angeles company in 1970, eventually working on his own. During his last years, in declining health, he lived in Portland, Ore., where his daughter Julie cared for him.

Shep was described by many as “the most positive person” they ever met. He loved the West Coast and its ocean, where he delighted in his own style of body surfing.

Shep is survived by three children from an earlier marriage, and a brother. Judy Coulter, his soul mate of 14 years, died in 2009.