MAINE, USA — Ashley Frederick Bryan, a beloved author and illustrator, has died at the age of 98.
According to the Ashley Bryan Center, the author died peacefully Friday at the home of his niece Vanessa.
“I am deeply saddened to learn of Ashley’s passing,” Gov. Janet Mills said in a statement Saturday. “He was a wonderful, happy man with a deep, rich history, a great imagination, and a beautiful, childlike soul.”
Bryan was born in Harlem but called Maine home for over 60 years. He served in the U.S Army during a time of segregation. His work includes over 50 children's books, stained-glass art that he created using washed-up debris from the shores of the Cranberry Isles, and his philanthropic actions around the world, according to a proclamation by Mills on his 97th birthday.
Bryan first came to Maine as a student at the Skowhegan School of Art in the summer of 1946. But after visiting the mountains of Acadia National Park and the Cranberry Isles he knew his heart and soul belonged here, the proclamation states.
Bryan was honored by Mills on his birthday, July 13, 2020. The governor paid tribute to the artist by highlighting the impact he has had on Maine, the world, and his inspiring legacy.
"I am so thankful I was able to spend time with him last year. Over our lunch, he spontaneously recited Langston Hughes, Shakespeare’s love sonnets, and other wonderful verses," Mills added in the statement. "His passing is a tremendous loss, but we are immeasurably better for his many, many gifts to our world."
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