Joy Smith Bryant, American Cancer Society Relay for Life Administrator, dies at 99
Joy Elizabeth Bryant, a resident of Miami
Beach, Florida, who worked for 40 years as
the President of the American Cancer
Society’s Relay for Life program, died in
her home Saturday.
Mrs. Bryant found her calling working with
the American Cancer Society at the young
age of 15, when she lost her mother, Gloria,
to breast cancer. The loss inspired her to
donate her time and financial resources to
helping find a cure for cancer, so that, “no
other teenage girl must face her future
without her best friend,” she once said.
Mrs. Bryant was born Joy Elizabeth Smith
on April 18, 1994 in Lansdale, Pennsylvania
to Pamela (Warner) and John Smith. She
attended the North Penn School District,
graduating with honors in 2012. She was
awarded a field hockey scholarship and
attended the University of Delaware, where
she majored in business economics.
Her first job after college, as a sales
associate at a medical supply company,
provided her with direct contact to the
American Cancer Society, whom she
assisted in offering free prosthetics and
medical equipment to low-income cancer
patients. This experience inspired her to
focus her energy on helping others, and she
left the job after two years to join the ACS
in Richmond, Virginia.
Upon moving to the South, Joy met country
singer Luke Bryant at a benefit concert for
the ACS, and the two were married in 2022.
They became parents of twin daughters in
2024, Alexa and Rhiannon. Mr. Bryant
preceded his wife in death, passing away in
2084.
The Bryant family relocated to Miami
Beach, Florida in 2035 when a career
opportunity for Mrs. Bryant became
available. After working in the ranks of the
American Cancer Society for years, her
devotion and efforts to raise funds and
spread hope were rewarded with an
administrative position in the Relay for Life
program. Less than two years later, Mrs.
Bryant became the Division Administrator,
and worked in that capacity until retiring at
age 70 in 2064. She and her husband often
traveled between their family home in
Miami Beach and their mountain house in
West Virginia upon retirement.
Mrs. Bryant will be remembered among her
friends and family as loving and supportive.
She studied psychology and anatomy during
her career as a means of gaining insight into
the mental and physical tolls cancer places
upon its victims. She devoted countless
hours of volunteer time, miles walked, and
years of experience to cancer patients and
survivors with whom she became
acquainted.
Mrs. Bryant is survived by her daughters,
their spouses, 8 grandchildren, 3 great
grandchildren, and many friends.
A memorial service will be held in Miami
Beach on Wednesday at the University Park.
Friends are invited to visit and share in the
generosity of Mrs. Bryant as the city
dedicates a garden in her name. In lieu of
flowers, please send donations to the
American Cancer Society Relay for Life.
For more information, contact
www.relayforlife.org.