Annie Leona “Topsy” Hinton Bryant passed away peacefully at home in Atwood on August 23, 2026, with family by her side. She was 94. Leona was born in Ripley, TN on October 3, 1931. Her life journey led her many places from east to west, with many fond memories of her childhood home of Nankipoo, TN. Leona was the daughter of Charles Franklin Hinton and Vera Earl Koonce Hinton. She attended school in Nankipoo, Hales Point, and graduated high school in Caruthersville, MO. Leona’s siblings included brothers Raymond, Duane, and Charlie Hinton and sisters Dorothy Hinton Keller, Mackie Hinton Love, and June Hinton Bizzell.

After graduation, Leona moved to St. Louis and later to Washington, DC to work at the Pentagon. While there, she met and married James Billy Bryant. After traveling to the Great Lakes and Guam for military service, retirement took them to Waterford, CA and eventually to Atwood, TN, by way of Milan. Leona was instrumental in the incorporation of Waterford, CA and served on the planning commission. She and Bill became Real Estate Brokers and opened United Farm Agency Real Estate in Waterford. They moved it all to Milan, TN in 1975. After purchasing Beaver Dam Marina in Camden, TN in 1981, Leona operated cabin sites and an on-site restaurant.

Leona was preceded in death by her husband, Bill (age 92), daughter Janice Lee Bryant (age 18) and son Kenneth Earl Bryant (age 64) and survived by son James Stephen (Cynthia) Bryant of Cookeville and daughter Melinda Laura “Lynne” (Oneal) Bryant White of Estill Springs, TN. Leona also has four grandchildren and three great- grandchildren:

- Andrew Stephen Bryant (Cookeville, TN)

- Carrie LeighAnn Bryant (Chattanooga, TN)

- Emily (Brian) White Lange (Nashville, TN) and sons Sawyer James Lange, Austin

Patrick Lange, and Davis Bryant Lange

- Miles Oneal White - Estill Springs, TN

A graveside service to honor and celebrate "Topsy" Leona Bryant’s life will be held at Pisgah Cemetery, located on Tennessee 77 in Atwood, TN, on August 27, 2026, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Friends and family are invited to gather and share in the memory of a truly remarkable woman whose kindness and spirit touched every life she encountered.

Memorials may be directed to Pisgah Cemetery: Pisgah Cemetery Association c/o Frank Robinson 1042 Lea Ln, Milan, TN 38358.