Colonel Walter Bryson III

Colonel Walter Bryson III, age 96, of Tallahassee, Florida, passed away peacefully on March 7, 2026, surrounded by his loving family.

Born on July 17, 1929, to Walter J. Bryson, Jr. and Irene Daphne Colson, Walter graduated from Leon High School before attending Emory University and earning his degree from the University of Florida, where he was a member of Sigma Epsilon fraternity. He later assisted in founding the SAE fraternity at Florida State University. In 1953, he married the love of his life, Mary Ellen Mays, who preceded him in death in 2019.

Walter served in the United States Marine Corps, rising to the rank of Colonel and becoming a skilled pilot whose low flights over St. Teresa brought joy to family and friends. After his military service, he returned to Tallahassee to work with his father-in-law, Hugh Mays, at Mays Electric and served as manager of Seminole Flying Service. He is best remembered as the founder of Barnaby’s Family Inn, which he established in 1970 and which served the Tallahassee community for more than five decades.

He is survived by his children, Julie Oven (Raney), Walter Bryson IV (Sharon), and Letitia Willis (Craig); grandchildren Lea Barnes, Rachel Miller, Alex Bryson, Mary Caitlin Willis, and Caroline Benton Willis; great-grandchildren Camryn Miller, Cael Miller, and Laney McDonald; and brother-in-law George K. Walker. His sister, Betty Hosford, passed away in 2011.