Mrs. Jacqueline Hill Bryant

ADAMS announces the passing of Mrs Jacqueline Hill Bryant who passed away on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at her residence. 

A celebration of life service will be held 11 AM Saturday, March 2, 2024 at Saint Matthews Episcopal Church.

Visitation and organizational ceremonies will be held from 6 PM to 7:30 PM on Friday, March 1, 2024 at the funeral home.

Inurnment: Lincoln Memorial Cemetery.

OBITUARY:

Jacqueline (Jackie) Lorraine Hill Bryant was born on November 8, 1927, in Newark, New Jersey. and later moved to East Orange, NJ. She was the youngest of two children born to Eula M. Saxon Hill and Jack Hubbard Hill. She graduated from East Orange High School. She was a member of St. James AME Church in Newark, NJ and later, St. Philips AME Church in Savannah, Ga.

Jackie earned an undergraduate degree in Foreign Language Studies -Spanish and Elementary Education from Spelman College, class of 1949 where she sang in the Spelman Glee Club and met her college sweetheart, Raleigh Alexander Bryant, Jr., a student at Morehouse College.  They married in 1951. They had two children Raleigh, III and Jocelyn Lorraine, and two granddaughters, Leslie Chayce and Alexis Lorraine and a son in law, Charles H. Harden, Jr. They joined St. Matthews Episcopal Church where Jackie served as an Episcopal Youth Leader, was a member of the Church Guild, and served on the Diocese of Georgia Discernment Committee.

Throughout the 1950’s -80’s, Jackie was devoted to her family, her profession, and her community. She received a post graduate degree from Savannah Armstrong State University, She was among the first African American teachers to integrate the Savannah Public Elementary Schools. She also was among the first teachers to experiment with the Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools (FLES) program and served as an item writer for the State of Georgia Assessment Project for Second and Third Grade Criterion Reference Tests. Jackie was certified to supervise student teachers. Notably, she was one of two teachers nationally selected to serve on the National Advisory Council Board for the Proctor and Gamble Crest Dental Health Education Program where she served for several terms. Jackie retired in 1984 after 30 years of teaching.

Jackie was also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and The Spelman Alumnae Association wherein she held several offices. She served on numerous community boards including The Savannah Symphony Society, The Women’s Guild of the Symphony Society, The Chatham County Equalization (Property Tax) Board, Board of Directors, National Public Radio Station FM-91, and The Arthritis Foundation Board. She worked closely with the early establishment of the King Tisdale Cottage Museum and immersed herself in the establishment and growth of Dollars for Scholars, later renamed SONATA.  She was recognized in 1998 as a “Hometown Hero” a program designed to recognize local citizens for community contributions on TV station WTOC.

Jackie was among the first to charter local and national social organizations in the city such as the Savannah Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc., and The Savannah Chapter of The National Smart Set where she held local, regional offices and served on the National Executive Committees of both. She and Raleigh traveled extensively throughout the US and internationally with family, friends, and social groups. Jackie was also the consummate grandmother.

She departed this life on January 24, 2024

Jackie was preceded in death by her husband, Raleigh A. Bryant, Jr. and son, Raleigh A. Bryant, III. She leaves to mourn, her daughter, Jocelyn Bryant Harden (Charles) two granddaughters, Leslie Chayce Harden (Thomas Mellaci), and Alexis Lorraine Harden, and a sister-in-law, Revonia Radden Bryant

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, March 2, 2024, at 11:00 am at St. Matthews Episcopal Church, Savannah, GA.

In lieu of flowers make donations and contributions in care of Mrs. Jacqueline Bryant to: 

Sponsors of New and Talented Artists , Inc. (SONATA) 
PO Box 16882 Savannah, GA 31416