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Ellen Denise Bryson

Ellen Denise Bryson

Sept. 16, 2012

Ellen Denise Bryson, 47, passed away in her sleep in the early morning hours of Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012, at home in Oak Ridge.

She was born in Huntsville, Ala., on Jan. 28, 1965, but was raised in Oak Ridge. She attended Glenwood Elementary School and Jefferson Junior High School, and was a 1983 graduate of Oak Ridge High School. After attending Roane State Community College and Tennessee Technological University, she was married in 1987 and had a daughter, Hannah, in 1991. Her family relocated to Murphy, N.C., and Cleveland, before moving to Dacula, Ga., in 1998. She recently moved back to Oak Ridge in January 2012, where she worked at Kroger and was pursuing a degree in medical transcription and coding.

She loved to travel and was fortunate to be able to visit London, England, and Ireland, where she fell in love with the people and country, and was active in researching her family lineage to 15th century Scotland. She loved her family and friends dearly, and was a wonderfully caring and tender soul.

Survivors include one daughter, Hannah Reigle, her husband, James, and their son, Robert Reigle, all of Myrtle Beach, S.C.; her parents, Glenn and Sharon McConkey Bryson of Englewood; one brother, Russell Bryson and his wife, Stacy, of Lenoir City; one sister, Beth Horton and her husband, Conyers, of Jacksonville, Fla.; one niece, Grace Horton; one nephew, Sam Horton; two uncles, Daniel McConkey and his wife, Linda, of Athens, and Alan McConkey and his wife, Pat, of Cottage Grove; and very special friends, Andrew Miller, Rebecca Baird and August Caudle.

A remembrance service will be 11 a.m. Saturday in the chapel of Weatherford Mortuary.

The family will receive friends from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to East Tennessee Children\'s Hospital, St. Jude Children\'s Research Hospital or The Butterfly Fund (www.butterflyfund.org).

An online guest book may be signed at weatherfordmortuary.com

Weatherford Mortuary of Oak Ridge is in charge of arrangements.