Maryan Louise Brush, 92, of Waterford, California, passed away peacefully in her sleep on April 2, 2025, after a short illness. She lived independently until four months before her death. She was a long-time resident, having lived in the Waterford-Hickman area for 79 years.
Maryan was born in Maud, Oklahoma on July 30, 1932, to Samuel Bryant and Mildred Bryant (nee Lewis) where she spent the first 10 years of her life. In 1942 the family moved to Richmond, California, where her father worked as a steam fitter, building ships for the United States Navy during World War II. At the end of the war, the family purchased a farm in Waterford, California. Maryan and her brother Charles attended Oakdale High School where she graduated in 1949. It was in high school that she met the love of her life, Don Brush. She loved to tell the story of the first day she met Don on the school bus. Don went home and told his mother that he saw the prettiest girl in the world and that he was going to marry her. Four years later Don and Maryan did marry on March 18, 1950, and celebrated 65 years of marriage before Don’s death in 2015.
As a young mother Maryan was active in the Hickman PTA, served as room mother many times, was a 4-H leader where she taught sewing and attended countless baseball and football games where her children played. Maryan was an avid gardener her entire adult life. She took great pride in her prized camelias and azaleas. She was an avid reader, bringing home five to six books at a time. She read so much that she had to keep long lists of authors and books to keep track of all the books she read.
Maryan worked at Hershey’s in Oakdale for a number of years and later ran the office for the family backhoe business. Her greatest joy came in being a homemaker where she excelled at cooking and keeping a tidy (if not perfect!) house and taking care of Don. After raising her children, she took joy in helping raise two of her grandsons.
In her later years Maryan was active in the Waterford Historical Society where she held various offices and participated in the Tri-W Club where she faithfully manned her station at the annual Strawberry Breakfast.
Maryan is survived by her two children, Pamela Brush Thomas and Larry Brush (Suzanne); her grandsons, Michael Brush (Paula), John Thomas, Matthew Thomas (Kristy), Ryne Brush (Alexandra); her great-grandchildren, Alexander, Logan, Falon, Drew, Allison, Nathan, Wayne, and Audrey; and her great-great-grandchildren, Colton, Willow, Emrie, Ava, Hannah, Elias, Cruz, Aurora and Skye. Maryan was predeceased by her husband Don, her son Michael Sr., her parents, Sam and Mildred Bryant and her brother Charles.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 12 noon on Saturday, May 24, 2025, at Community Bible Church (CBC), 14143 Yosemite Blvd., Waterford, California. All are welcome. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Waterford Historical Society, PO Box 762, Waterford, CA 95386.
The Oakdale (Calif.) Leader
The Riverbank (Calif.) News
May 14, 2025
