Penelope A. Bryan

Portsmouth, - Penelope A. Chase Bryan, 93, of Glen Road Portsmouth, RI, died Wednesday, August 13, 2003 at John Clarke Nursing Center Middletown, RI.She was the wife of the late Alfred J. Bryan. Born in Newport, RI on April 17, 1910, she was the daughter of the late Herbert Manton and Sarah Priscella Bryant Chase.Except for her recent stay at the John Clark Retirement Center, she lived her life on Glen Road, Portsmouth, RI. She was raised with her five brothers in the family home, the former Durfee Tea House, which her father had moved from across Glen Road. After her marriage she and her husband moved into their home, also on Glen Road. During her life she was an active member of St. Marys Episcopal Church where she served for many years on the Altar Guild and was a faithful worker at the annual Lawn Party. Following the death of her husand in 1970, she worked at Ye Viking Shoppe in Newport where she enjoyed outfitting children. She is a direct descendent of William Chase, who in 1630, was the first of the Chase family to cross the Atlantic to settle in the New World and of John Coggeshall, the first president of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. She is survived by her three children Mary Chase Petersen, of Falls Village, CT, Alfred J. Bryan of Rogers, CT, and Priscilla P. Olsen of Princeton, NJ, her brother Col. Norman S. Chase of Virginia Beach, VA, twelve grandchildren, four step-grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.In addition to her husband she was pre-deceased by four brothers Herbert M. Chase Jr., Prescott W. Chase, Stanwood G. Chase and Weld Thayer Chase, and two grandchildren. A Memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 6, 2003, at a time to be announced, in St. Marys Episcopal Church, 324 East Main Road, Portsmouth. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the H. Manton and S. Priscilla Chase Fund, St. Marys Episcopal Church, 324 East Main Road, Portsmouth, RI 02871. Arrangements are by the Connors Funeral Home, 55 West Main Road, Portsmouth, RI.