On the morning of Jan. 23, Callie Daniels Bryant, a University of Mississippi graduate and local journalist, died from injuries from a car wreck.
A little before 10 a.m., 28-year-old Callie was driving westbound on Highway 30 when her car went off-road and crashed into a tree. She was transported to Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi, where she later died.
She was an Etta native who graduated from the university in 2014 with a degree in journalism.
Callie and her husband of nearly four years, Andrew, recently bought a home together near Oxford, where Callie Bryant worked as associate editor at PMQ Pizza Magazine and as executive director at Union County Humane Society (UCHS). She was born deaf and worked as a Deaf and Hard of Hearing Guide at Mississippi Hands & Voices Guides By Your Side.
“She put in so much work. She worked so hard to get the story the way she wanted it,” Andrew said.
It was through her love of writing — specifically writing about fostering animals — that Bryant found the Union County Humane Society. This later became a passion of hers, and she eventually became the director of the humane society.
“I always knew that when I was by her side, I was in the company of the most incredible human that I would ever know. Callie was adored by the universe, and this is not an exaggeration,” Andrew said. “To feel the love coming from everyone honestly feels like being in Callie’s presence, and in its own way, it is comforting, affirming and welcomed.”
An outpouring of love and kind words about Callie have been posted on social media, including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Andrew’s co-workers created a GoFundMe page in her honor to help cover the costs of her funeral. The page has since raised over $25,000 from more than 300 donors in three days. Members of Bryant’s family are also asking that people donate to the Union County Humane Society in Callie’s honor.
“Callie was, and is, the reason for so much happiness. It is impossible to distill here, but there are moments, and there will continue to be moments where it’s the only thing worth feeling, and we’ll hold onto it in any way we can,” Monica Daniels, Callie’s mother, said.
“Callie would want to be remembered by the people that never made her put on the boxing gloves, even though she never had any trouble doing so,” Rose Daniels, Callie’s younger sister said.
Debora Wenger, an assistant dean at the university, said Callie impressed many of her teachers and fellow students with her talent and commitment to succeed.
“We are proud of what she accomplished after graduation — her work ethic and kind heart are missed by all who knew her at the school,” Wenger said.
A celebration of Callie’s life will be held at Northminster Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi, on Saturday, Feb. 1 with visitation at 1:00 p.m. The funeral will begin at 3:00 p.m. with interment in the Northminster Columbarium immediately following.
Per Callie’s wishes, she will be cremated at Northminster Baptist Church in Jackson.
