Bryars
WAYCROSS — After a long illness, our loving father and friend, Mark H. Bryars, Jr., fell asleep in death at home Monday March 3, 2025.
Bryars was born August 20, 1942, in Pensacola Fla., the only son of Mark H. Bryars Sr. and Lela Johnson Bryars. In addition to his parents, he was also preceded in death by his beloved wife, Peggy Joyce Bryars; and sisters, Rita Bryars Mathis and Linda Bryars Windham (Conrad).
Bryars is survived by his four children, Kelle Bryars, Judson Bryars, Rachel Blizzard (Daniel) and Yancy Bryars; four grandchildren, Brianna Bryars, Caleb Bryars, Jaden Blizzard and Riley Blizzard; as well as many nieces and nephews and countless close friends.
His two great loves were his heavenly Father Jehovah God and his dear wife, Peggy Joyce. He dedicated his life to the doing of Jehovah God’s will. On November 27, 1953 at the tender age of 11. Bryars then set out to give his life, time and effort to the spreading of the good news of God’s Kingdom, including God’s promises of life everlasting on earth. (John 3: 16) In the summer of 1963, Bryars met Peggy Hagler. Immediately, he knew he had found someone special. Within two weeks, they were engaged, and married two months later.
Within Peggy, Bryars found a helpmate and partner who also loved Jehovah God and wanted to spend her life in service to Him, making a family and life with her husband. They became an unstoppable team October 12, 1963. They spent more than 52 years amazing years together.
One of his favorite Bible verses about marriage was Matthew 19: 4-6: “Have you not read that the one who created them from the beginning made them male and female and said: ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will be one flesh’? So that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has yoked together, let no man put apart.’” Many times Bryars would speak to newlywed couples and share Bible research on these verses that says the expression “one flesh” could also be rendered “one body” or “one person.” It describes the closest bond possible between two humans. Such a union cannot be broken up without damage to the partners bound by it. Husband and wife strived to express this Bible principle in our family. They truly created an environment of peace, happiness, love, respect and honor for Bible morals for their four children.
Not long after their marriage, Bryars was offered the manager position of a Greyhound bus station of his choosing. They decided to come to Waycross “for a year or two.” Waycross and its beautiful people became their home for the rest of their lives.
They started several businesses, working side by side making them successful. His work with Greyhound sparked an interest in travel becoming one of the largest travel agencies in southeast Georgia. Throughout the years, American Travel assisted or escorted many to see more of this beautiful planet.
The couple loved their job of showing the world to our little corner of the state. Later, a close friend introduced them to remodeling, flipping and renting houses. This interest in real estate turned into a thriving property rental business.
The two were hard workers, finding contentment in being productive and helpful. They used their blessings to be generous, hospitable and caring to others, especially their spiritual brothers and sisters.
Throughout the years, they volunteered thousands of hours of their time and much of their resources for the advancement of the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization and its people. They helped build or rebuild places of worship, organize large Bible-based conventions, preached from door to door and spent many hours in personal homes teaching God’s Word to local families.
Bryars was known to be an excellent public Bible speaker and a comforting shepherd to all who were in distress. Some of his and Peggy’s happiest memories were moments like these spent side by side with their spiritual found family. Like the Wilsons, the Lakes, the Bozemans, the Laniers, the DeLevises, Eric and Eva Davis and so many more.
In June of 2016, Bryars lost his best friend and partner to cancer. While he continued to work hard in his ministry and shepherding work, Bryars was never the same, mourning the loss of his best half until his last breath.
He continued to read God’s Word daily. As a result, he had a strong faith in God’s promises. One of his favorite scriptures was Romans 14: 7-9, which assures us that “if we die, we die to Jehovah. So both is we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah. For to this end Christ died and came to life again, so that he might be Lord over both the dead and the living.”
His hope was to be resurrected to a paradise earth where he would enjoy everlasting life, in perfect health, with Peggy, his faithful family and faithful friends. Until we see them both again. Amen and Amen!
