Bryan Cottrell Durham

Bryan Cottrell Durham, former world traveler, peacefully passed away August 20th, 2024 in Grove City, Ohio after courageously fighting his body for over 30 days. He was born in Long Beach, California July 21st, 1933. 

How do you sum up the life of such a beloved man in words? 

Let alone our Dad who lived and loved through 91 years of it. 

(Or as he would say into his 92nd year) 

We could start at the beginning…his childhood, his schooling, his high jumping record in High School, and achieving his Eagle Scout. How he served a mission WHILE being married to our Mom, Florine Ballif Durham, and how she was even his companion for a month while serving in the Northwest Mission. How neat was that?!? …but I think it best to share what we know about him the best. How he noticed our Mom across the dance floor, while she was on a date with another man. How every time he saw her or a picture of her he always stated “look how pretty she is!” Or “She has the most kissable lips!” He loved to dance with Mom. He truly showed us what love was by how he loved Mom through her 13 years of Alzheimer’s. Our tough, can conquer anything, Army helicopter pilot in Korea, Dad, showed us firsthand what true love is. How he fed, bathed, dressed in nice clothes, put nylons on her, did her hair, put appropriate lipstick on her, spritzed her with perfume, put earrings in tiny holes in her ears and all matchy matchy to her shoes routine and repeated this every day. He quit his job to travel with her for as long as they could to see new places and experience new things, knowing she would never remember. Playing her favorite music and always, always, having her favorite candy on hand. He would carefully lead her and explain what they were seeing and any hazards in her way. Day in and day out he would repeat this action of enduring true love. Our Mom never snored, he would say she “purred” and it was hard for him to fall asleep without it. Our Dad would leave us with this master class on loving and being loved, that is engrained in us to carry on. They were married and sealed for time and all eternity in the Logan, Utah Temple on September 16th, 1953 and are finally reunited after almost exactly 20 years of waiting. 

Now let’s not forget the other things our Dad taught us..he was a master at making a bowl of cereal… an art form really, a Da Vinci at buttering toast. He was the cat burglar of half gallon ice cream eating. (He would leave the top layer so perfectly flat so when you opened the box, you would never know someone had eaten any). He LOVED to drive! He loved corners while driving, and I would hazard to guess that all three of his children went a hundred miles per hour for our first time with our Dad behind the wheel. He would win the grand prize at cake decorating and beard growing contests with blue ribbons to prove it. He produced and made moving, jaw dropping sets for the winning Road Show productions several times! He was a cherished Scout Master and his boys loved and respected him and rallied in his rope bridges and towers. He served on the Ohio Boy Scout Council. He was called as the wards 1st counselor at the age of 88!! At the time he left us, he is warmly known for shaking everyone’s hand, knowing their name, looking them in the eye and making them feel seen and loved even. Dad was the Master of Halloween…seriously, the over the top amazing guillotines, the coffin in the front yard with me in it, the many filled waterbeds on our living room floor that you had to walk over, and the decorations and costumes. Dad had FLAIR!! He was unafraid of doing anything. Our Dad had a loud whistle that you could hear over the crowds of Disneyland, and everyone of his children, grandchildren, and dare say Nieces and Nephews, all knew what that meant. It was the return call to arms for all in hearing distance! Our Dad whistled music constantly…sometimes to the point of nerve wracking…but I will miss it forever now. Dad graduated from USC as the first graduating class of Physical Therapy. He transferred from Utah State. He also instructed at San Diego State University in the same capacity. He owned his own business and thoroughly enjoyed it..EXCEPT the paperwork. He HATES paperwork. (Is there a stronger word than hate?) He loved to laugh! Loved to play cards, in fact he taught me to count numbers by playing cards!! Buy and Rook were two of his favorites. He had a beautiful singing voice and always participated in choirs, even though he couldn’t read a stitch of music. Dad was an amazing orator, he would share talks that were never without the Spirit. He would agonize over every one of them and never felt one talk he gave was ever finished. He was Spiritually inspired and always listened to it. Most of these would occur around 2 or 3 AM and he would gather us all up and do as instructed no matter the time! Never have I seen one of his promptings incorrect. He loved the Lord and loved the scriptures. 

Our Dad, we believe, was mostly Gypsy genetically. He lived to travel. Believed travel was an education, and he was correct. There was not a state in the USA he did not travel to. Including Alaska and Hawaii. He lived to get to the next destination. 

Even after landing in a war zone in Israel last year he wanted to stay, saying “How exciting it is to be in a war zone in Israel!! How many can say that?!?!” On return home, he only wanted to go back to Israel. I have no doubt he has already taken Mom there. His heart was always traveling. Seeing new things. Eating new foods. Experiencing new sights. He was FUN! Whether making jokes, rolling his eyes, or passing a very dry comment to see who would pick it up, he was intelligent and fun! 

With all of this being said, I can say with zero hesitation, that our Dads greatest joy was his family. All of his family, including his extended family. He really did love all of us. Whether you lived with him or not. 

He flourished in being a Grandpa and Great Grandpa. He loved being our Dad. The last 18 years of his life he excelled in being the Twins Grandpa AND Grandma on a daily basis. He was the best at fulfilling both of those sacred rolls. The Twins believe he walks on water and he believed they hung the moon. How blessed we are to know that he loved us every day. Every day. Not a day has gone by in our lives that we did not know of his love and support of us. He was a Dad, our Dad, till his very last breath. What a legacy of love he leaves. A legacy I pray we all live up to and carry with us to the day we are reunited. 

He is survived by his children: 

Florin Connell Durham and his wife Christina 

Julee Durham Robinson and her husband Wallace 

Dyane Durham Eisan and her husband John 

His surviving siblings: 

Reed C. Durham Jr. and his wife Faye 

James Cottrell Durham and his wife Nel 

He has 10 grandchildren (9 surviving) and 24 Great Grandchildren 

He was preceded in death by: 

His wife, Florine Ballif Durham 

His first-born son, Bryan Chadwick Durham 

His parents, Reed Connell Durham Sr and Violet Ethelyn Cottrell 

His sister, Luann (Durham) Glassford and her husband Richard Glassford 

His grandson, Ryan Connell Durham