Jo Ann Bryant, 71, champion equestrian

Jo Ann Bryant of 37 Ned’s Mountain Road, an award-winning equestrian, died unexpectedly on Friday morning, Feb. 2,  at Danbury Hospital. She was 71 years old and the wife of Fred E. Bryant.
Mrs. Bryant was born in Chattanooga, Tenn. on Dec. 27, 1929, a daughter of the late Anthony R. and Faye E. Stahl Bledsoe. She had been a Ridgefielder for the past 30 years, moving here from Austintown, Ohio.
An accomplished equestrian, Mrs. Bryant was a member of the American Quarter Horse Association, and the Connecticut and Ohio Quarter Horse Associations. She participated in numerous shows and was the 1975 Connecticut Quarter Horse Association Western pleasure riding champion.
Mrs. Bryant was a member of the Rebecca Lodge in Canfield, Ohio. She enjoyed music and house plants.
Besides her husband, survivors include two sons: Robert E. of Ridgefield and Thomas of Wethersfield, Conn.; one daughter: Cheryl Gieseke of Houston, Tex. Eight grandchildren also survive.
Funeral services and burial will be in Austintown, Ohio.
The Lane Funeral Home in Austintown was in charge of arrangements.