Richard Joseph Bryce

May 27, 1952 - June 7, 2025

Richard Joseph Bryce, son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend to many, passed away on June 7, 2025, after a lengthy battle with multiple health issues. Larger than life, Dick Bryce was gregarious, hardworking, and devoted to his family, friends, and community.


Dick was a lifelong resident of Tulsa. Born at St. John Hospital, he attended Marquette Catholic School, Cascia Hall Preparatory School, and Bishop Kelley High School, where he participated in track and cross-country, and earned his Eagle Scout Award. In the 1970s, he served in the Oklahoma Air National Guard and graduated from the University of Arkansas. He began his career at Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, where he met the love of his life, Rhonda. In 1978, he joined his father, Walter, in the family business: Bryce Insurance.


Dick and Rhonda were married in 1979, and Dick threw himself into his work at Bryce Insurance while building a life with Rhonda and their three children: Melissa, Allie, and Joey. For many years, his booming laughter filled the halls of the Bryce Building at 13th and Main. He expected excellence from those around him, including his coworkers and his children, and put his heart and soul into everything he did. He found purpose in life by helping others: whether assisting a customer with an insurance need, coaching basketball for Allie and Joey, volunteering at the Church of Saint Mary, or serving on the Board of 12 & 12 (now Grand Mental Health). He was also active in the community as a member of the Kiwanis Club of Tulsa, a Cub Scout pack leader, and as president of the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane Club.


Dick was a lifelong sports fanatic. He loved the St. Louis Cardinals and the Oklahoma City Thunder. He aspired to a golf game that rivaled his father-in-law's, but success was always just one good swing out of reach.


Dick is survived by his beautiful, incredible, saintly wife and steadfast caregiver, Rhonda, and their children: Melissa (Tulsa); Allison (Oklahoma City) and her husband, Scott Moore; and Joey (Fort Worth) and his wife, Paige Bryant Bryce. Nothing brought him more joy in life than his nine grandchildren: Ginny, Jack, Avery, Brooklyn, Bryce, Blakely, Peyton, Sterling, and Stetson. Dick had a special bond with his late granddaughter, Ginny, and they faced health challenges together with strength and love. Now, after ten years apart, we know their reunion will be sweet.


He is also survived by his loving siblings, and in-laws, who stood by him throughout his illness: Eileen Bryce and Pat Connelly (Tulsa), Patti Bryce (Washington, DC), Wally and Betsy Bryce (Tulsa), Mary Bryce Fox and Larry Fox (Tulsa), and Robert and Lorin Bryce (Austin, TX), and his mother and father-in-law Ginger and Ron Anderson. He is preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Ann Bryce; his brothers, John and Bill; his cousins, Doug Edwards and Steve Bryce; and many other Bryce family members.


Friends can honor Dick's memory with contributions to two organizations that held a special place in his heart. The Bryce House at Grand Mental Health, formerly 12 & 12, serves veterans facing addiction (PO Box 33015, Tulsa, OK 74153). The Global Foundation for Peroxisomal Disorders serves families facing a peroxisomal disorder, like Dick's late granddaughter, Ginny (PO Box 33238, Tulsa, OK 74153).


A Memorial Mass will be held on Thursday, June 12, at 2:00 p.m. at the Church of Saint Mary, with a reception immediately following.