Mary Florene Kirby Bryant went to be with her Lord on June 1st, 2026, at White Oak Nursing Home after a lengthy illness. She was 97 years old.

Born on May 13, 1929, she was a lifelong resident of Pacolet and a faithful member of Pacolet United Methodist Church. Florene was the daughter of the late James and Mary Kirby and a graduate of Pacolet High School. She was preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, Jerome Clarence Bryant, and her sister, Frances Kirby Knox.

She is survived by her daughter, Anita Bryant Carrigan (Jack); her granddaughter, Holly Carrigan Burrell (David); and her great-grandchildren, Jackson Burrell, Anna Burrell, and Connor Burrell.

Florene worked as a cosmetologist in her own business, was a homemaker, and remained very active in her church throughout her life. She was an extremely hard-working woman who somehow always found time to serve her community, including many years as a voting precinct worker and serving as a Pacolet city councilwoman. In addition, she and her husband owned and operated Pacolet Fuel & Supply Co., as well as the Western Auto Associate Store in Cowpens.

Above all, Florene loved being a mother and grandmother and was always supportive and involved in Anita and Holly’s lives. Those who knew Florene found her to be both gracious and outgoing. She was independent, generous, and a lifelong supporter of several charities close to her heart.

A giving, caring, and extraordinary woman, Florene will be greatly missed by her family and all who knew and loved her. The family greatly appreciates her caregivers at White Oak Nursing Unit Two, as well as the nurses of Spartanburg Regional Hospice, for their compassionate and professional care during her illness.

Graveside services will be held Friday, June 5, 2026, at 10:00 A.M. at Pacolet Memorial Gardens, 141 Memorial Drive, Pacolet, SC, with Pastor J.R. Carrigan officiating. A time of visitation will follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made online to the Spartanburg Regional Hospice Giving Page.