Alice Emma Weller (Demarest) Bryan, 83, of Sherwood, passed away Friday, July 17, 2020 at Auburn Village in Auburn, Indiana.
A public visitation will be held from 1:00 P.M. to 2:00 P.M. on Thursday, July 23, 2020 at the Assembly of God Church, 501 Division Street, Union City, MI 49094. The public funeral begin at 2:00 P.M. on Thursday, also at the church. Pastor Josh Englehart from the Agape Center in Coldwater will officiate.
Interment will be at Burlington Cemetery, next to her grandson, Brent Carus, Jr.
The Governor of Michigan requires that all in attendance wear a face covering. Face coverings will not be provided, so please plan to bring one with you. The family is being served by Lighthouse Funeral & Cremation in Union City.
Alice was born at home in Burlington on April 11, 1937 to Ernest and Anna (Wilson) Weller. She attended Cain County School and later Sherwood and Union City schools until she married Lawrence “Bud” Demarest, Sr. on July 13, 1954. Together they had seven children. Although the marriage ended in divorce in 1983, they remained very close friends, always together at family functions and holidays.
In 1986, Alice married Arthur Bryan of Coldwater and adopted his small son, Arthur, Jr. and raised him as her own. That marriage ended in divorce in 1998.
A woman of faith, Alice attended the Union City Assembly of God Church. She loved to write poems, short stories and songs. She also did weekly Bible lessons through the mail and watched what she called “her preachers” on television as much as she could. For years Alice was involved with the Cub Scouts (Troop Pack 443) as the den mother.
She worked as a foster grandparent at Girard Schools for six years and then at East Leroy Elementary School until she retired. Alice was married at the age of 16 and spent most of her life raising and caring for her children.
Alice is survived by her seven children: Shirley (Bill) Damrow of Athens, Marilyn (Gene) Denbock of Union City, Debra (Terry) VanHoose of Burlington, Sandra Iannone of Athens, Larry (Jeanne) Demarest of Union City, Brian Demarest of Greenville, SC, and Matthew (Amy) Demarest of Union City; step-son Arthur (Neva) Bryan, Jr. of Battle Creek; 18 grandchildren; several great-grandchildren; and a great-great grandson. Alice is also survived by her siblings, Hattie (Doug) Rounds, Robert Weller and Dawn Cox and several nieces and nephews.
Alice experienced many losses in her lifetime and was preceded in death by her father, Ernest Weller, and mother, Anna Weller; infant brother Ernest; and siblings Peggy Weller, William “Floyd” Weller, Edith (Weller) Barker, Mary (Weller) Rhodes, John Weller, Paul Weller and Margaret (Weller) Traver; grandson Brent Carus, Jr., and former husband and father to her children, Lawrence Demarest, Sr.
Memorial donations are suggested to the Assembly of God Church in Union City.
