Gerald Norman Bryant II was born on the 4th of July 1953 To Harold and
Marcella Bryant. Jerry was born one month and one day after his uncle
Gerald Norman Bryant was killed in the service of the US Army during the
Korean War.
As he grew up, each year the United States celebrated
its birthday on the 4th of July with fire works and festivities. Jerry
was in awe as he felt the world was celebrating his own birthday. When
he grew older he realised the difference between the two, but in his
entire life, he would say, he never met a person whom he didn’t like,
because every one had helped him celebrate his birthday.
Jerry graduated from Los Banos California High School
where he excelled at football. Following this he lived with his sister
Lorelei in Reno, Nevada. Enrolling in the San Francisco College of
Mortuary Science, he graduated with a Degree in Embalming. For the year
following he lived in Germany. On November 23rd 1973 he arrived in
Thailand to live with his Dad who was employed by the United States Army
at camp Samae San. Loving the country, the people and his many friends,
he decided that Thailand was to be his home—so when his Dad went home in
1976 he decided to stay. He worked for the U.S. Government for a short
time. Then, as the American presence in Thailand was being fazed out,
Jerry too lost his job. Not wanting to go back to the States, he and his
wife Dang opened “Dang’s Hot Dog” on a shoe-string budget right under
the big tree in South Pattaya. Wanting to make it on his own, he worked
as a diver for Bill Book and later on for Dave Doll. He later
established “Saloon Bar” making then and now, one of the tastiest Pizzas
in town.
Then tragedy struck. One fateful night as he was
driving home with his wife, through some terrible accident, he was shot
three times in the stomach. That would have been the end of most people,
for he was clinically dead at least twice in the hospital.
But his will to live kept him going. With the kind
and loving care of his family and friends he was able to pull through.
But his life changed completely. He was not the same strong and robust
man he had been. This did not stop him from enjoying life, as all his
friends will confirm. He was a member of the Pattaya Sports Club and
took part in all it’s sports activities, be it bowling, darts, softball
or just plain hanging around and living it up. Jerry was a pioneer in
Pattaya. He was tough and never once let anyone take away anything that
was rightly his. But he was also a man with a big heart. How many of us
knew him as generous to the point of foolishness. He just grinned and
said that, ‘If I am so stupid to give it away, then may he who took it
enjoy it.’ Jerry was the father of two children, Jerry “Noi” and little
Michel, who is now living with his brother in Texas.
In March 1992 Jerry was taken seriously ill only a
few days after his return to Thailand from a journey to India to enrol
little Jerry in a school there. He succumbed and passed away.
It was a long hard battle for Jerry. He lived in
physical pain ever since he was shot, but his spirit was ever strong. As
we remember his birthday anniversary this 4th of July when he would be
44 years of age, we would just like to say ‘Dear Jerry, old friend, you
will always be with us. Your spirit lives in the Big Tree and you will
always be in the annuls of Pattaya, for it took men like you to create
Pattaya and show what it takes to endure and become what it is today.’
