Demetrius Bryant, right, foreman at Bellefontaine Cemetery, trains grounds crew supervisor Maria Barrett Cruse on Aug. 14, 2026, on how to measure the dimensions of a burial plot to properly place the headstone base.
Photo by Christian Gooden, Post-Dispatch
Photo by Christian Gooden, Post-Dispatch
Article by Coby Rinke St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Aug 27, 2026
Aug 27, 2026
Demetrius Bryant, 61, has spent the last 30 years surrounded by the dead. Since 1995, he says he has attended more than 3,500 funerals.
After years of working in warehouses in the 1990s, Demetrius, who grew up in St. Louis, started cutting weeds at Bellefontaine Cemetery, which sprawls over 314 forested acres in north St. Louis.
Bellefontaine Cemetery was founded in 1849 and is the final resting place of many historical figures including William Clark and Adolphus Busch. Demetrius’s work there has affirmed his belief in being prepared for the eventuality that faces us all. That's why he’s bought a dozen plots here for his family. And he’s committed to helping those going through the worst moments of their lives.
At a service a few years ago, Demetrius approached a sobbing young man in his 20s who couldn’t understand why his cousin was gone. Demetrius asked him questions about his relationship with his cousin.
As the young man told him stories about their childhood together, he seemed to relax. The two were still talking as the other family members loaded into cars to drive away. Bryant hugged the young man goodbye.
“It's almost like we need therapy when somebody dies,” Demetrius says. “I just was giving him a release to voice what he was going through.”
Sometimes, Demetrius tells the people he talks to about the loss of his own mother in 2010, a subject that is still painful for him. His mother didn’t tell her adult children about her cancer diagnosis until a month before she died.
“I think he took it hard because he figured he should have known,” Frank Bryant III, his older
brother, says. When their father, Frank Bryant Jr., 84, started to show signs of dementia and
decline, Demetrius knew he had to take charge.
“I think once my dad became sick, he just said it's not going to happen again,” Frank III says. In
October 2023, their father moved into the Bellefontaine Neighbors home Demetrius shares
with his wife, Lera.
Despite Demetrius’ day-to-day encounters with death and dying, he still feels unprepared for
this impending loss.
“It's any day for him, you know. So, it gets scary sometimes,” he says.
If he sees someone distraught and by themselves, Demetrius tries to talk to them. Some conversations are sad, he says, but others are lighthearted, as family members share fond memories of the deceased.
He recalls a 13-year-old who approached him and calmly asked about the logistics of how
the body of his grandfather would be processed. The teenager told Demetrius stories about his grandfather taking him on summer vacations. Demetrius told the boy that those stories kept his memory alive.
“Talking to them as an individual that's been through things, it kind of helps them. You don't
understand why you're going through those things until you have to use them,” Demetrius says.
Sometimes he asks members of his grounds crew to attend funerals with him, so they can see
the impact of their work.
Caring for His Dad
Either Lera or Demetrius checks on Frank Jr. every time they hear a noise from another room,
even in the middle of the night. Sometimes, his father hallucinates and knocks things over. One
morning, Demetrius awoke to find his dad slumped on the bathroom floor. He had slipped
trying to use the toilet. Frank Jr. was unharmed by the fall, and by breakfast time, he had
forgotten he had ever fallen.
Frank III and their sister, Alesia, say that Demetrius is the only one their father listens to. They
say the decision to care for his father wasn’t surprising. Demetrius also cared for his paternal
grandmother before she died and helps pay the bills for his maternal uncle.
At work, Demetrius takes a call from one of his father’s nurses, who was worried that he was
not eating or sleeping well.
“They are just making sure that I'm prepared for what might be happening,” he says. “ [But]
you're not gonna ever be prepared for that.”
Still, he has been making plans for his family.
In 2023, Demetrius purchased 12 plots at the cemetery for himself, his wife, their two children
and extended family members. When Demetrius’ mother died, she had already arranged and
paid for her funeral, which made the process easier on Demetrius and his family. This inspired
him to start preparing for his own death.
“Being in this business, I know that anything can happen to me at any given moment,” he says.
Dan Fuller, the cemetery chronicler, has known Demetrius since Fuller startedworking at Bellefontaine in 2012. He understands why Demetrius bought so many plots. He has picked out a space for himself in Bellefontaine, as well.
“For people who aren't in the death industry, I think it's a little alien,” Fuller says. But for those who work intimately with the aftermath of death, it’s comforting to know their families won’t have to make those immediate decisions, he says.
If he sees someone distraught and by themselves, Demetrius tries to talk to them. Some conversations are sad, he says, but others are lighthearted, as family members share fond memories of the deceased.
He recalls a 13-year-old who approached him and calmly asked about the logistics of how
the body of his grandfather would be processed. The teenager told Demetrius stories about his grandfather taking him on summer vacations. Demetrius told the boy that those stories kept his memory alive.
“Talking to them as an individual that's been through things, it kind of helps them. You don't
understand why you're going through those things until you have to use them,” Demetrius says.
Sometimes he asks members of his grounds crew to attend funerals with him, so they can see
the impact of their work.
Caring for His Dad
Either Lera or Demetrius checks on Frank Jr. every time they hear a noise from another room,
even in the middle of the night. Sometimes, his father hallucinates and knocks things over. One
morning, Demetrius awoke to find his dad slumped on the bathroom floor. He had slipped
trying to use the toilet. Frank Jr. was unharmed by the fall, and by breakfast time, he had
forgotten he had ever fallen.
Frank III and their sister, Alesia, say that Demetrius is the only one their father listens to. They
say the decision to care for his father wasn’t surprising. Demetrius also cared for his paternal
grandmother before she died and helps pay the bills for his maternal uncle.
At work, Demetrius takes a call from one of his father’s nurses, who was worried that he was
not eating or sleeping well.
“They are just making sure that I'm prepared for what might be happening,” he says. “ [But]
you're not gonna ever be prepared for that.”
Still, he has been making plans for his family.
In 2023, Demetrius purchased 12 plots at the cemetery for himself, his wife, their two children
and extended family members. When Demetrius’ mother died, she had already arranged and
paid for her funeral, which made the process easier on Demetrius and his family. This inspired
him to start preparing for his own death.
“Being in this business, I know that anything can happen to me at any given moment,” he says.
Dan Fuller, the cemetery chronicler, has known Demetrius since Fuller startedworking at Bellefontaine in 2012. He understands why Demetrius bought so many plots. He has picked out a space for himself in Bellefontaine, as well.
“For people who aren't in the death industry, I think it's a little alien,” Fuller says. But for those who work intimately with the aftermath of death, it’s comforting to know their families won’t have to make those immediate decisions, he says.
Drawn to the Work
Demetrius jokes that he spends more time awake at the cemetery than at home. Even when he
accidentally cut off his own thumb in the cemetery’s mechanic shop in 2014, he didn’t quit. He
returned to Bellefontaine after a year.
His co-workers say they rely on him for help and admire his patience when things go wrong.
Part of his dedication comes from the Cemetery’s natural beauty. Demetrius loves
the outdoors and often goes camping with Lera and their daughters. When he started at
the cemetery, he was so happy to be outside that he would sing and hum as he worked.
“The guys thought that something's wrong with this guy. He's new. He's gonna get over
it,” he says. “Well, I never did get over it.”
In the mornings, he frequently stops by his favorite spot in Bellefontaine, navigating
through the Cemetery’s maze of identical paths to a pavilion overlooking Cascade
Lake. Alongside the graves, sculpted gardens circle the pavilion, and beyond, rolling green hills slope down to the glistening lake.
“This is my beautiful home,” he says.
Demetrius says he enjoys being a foreman more than his previous jobs because he can interact
with the families. But the funerals carry an emotional burden.
He often wonders if he will still carry the deaths with him after he retires. Sometimes he breaks
down and tries to turn away before a family member notices his tears. Demetrius can’t help
thinking of his own loved ones, particularly his mother, when he hears others tell stories about
the people they have lost.
“Like everything else, it gets easier. Doesn't go away. It gets easier,” he says.
He says he fell into a depression for years after her death. Lera says Demetrius’ faith was
ultimately what helped pull him out. Demetrius is a devout Baptist; he believes the people he
talks to at funerals are who God has put in his path.
Demetrius is a member of the Third Baptist Church in the Grand Center Arts District, where he also coached a youth basketball league for years. He tries to attend services every Sunday,
though recently it has been hard to leave his father, who needs 24-hour care.
Though he hasn’t told his extended family yet, Demetrius plans to buy more plots in
Bellefontaine when he can.
He also knows his father’s health is deteriorating.
“He's ready because he's asking ‘Why am I still here?,’” Demetrius says. He tells his father that
the next time he talks to God, he should ask him.
As difficult as it is to think about, Demetrius is preparing for his father’s departure, as well.
Frank Jr., who served in the Navy, won’t be among the family plots at Bellefontaine.
Demetrius has arranged for his father to be buried at sea.
View this article on stltoday.com
accidentally cut off his own thumb in the cemetery’s mechanic shop in 2014, he didn’t quit. He
returned to Bellefontaine after a year.
His co-workers say they rely on him for help and admire his patience when things go wrong.
Part of his dedication comes from the Cemetery’s natural beauty. Demetrius loves
the outdoors and often goes camping with Lera and their daughters. When he started at
the cemetery, he was so happy to be outside that he would sing and hum as he worked.
“The guys thought that something's wrong with this guy. He's new. He's gonna get over
it,” he says. “Well, I never did get over it.”
In the mornings, he frequently stops by his favorite spot in Bellefontaine, navigating
through the Cemetery’s maze of identical paths to a pavilion overlooking Cascade
Lake. Alongside the graves, sculpted gardens circle the pavilion, and beyond, rolling green hills slope down to the glistening lake.
“This is my beautiful home,” he says.
Demetrius says he enjoys being a foreman more than his previous jobs because he can interact
with the families. But the funerals carry an emotional burden.
He often wonders if he will still carry the deaths with him after he retires. Sometimes he breaks
down and tries to turn away before a family member notices his tears. Demetrius can’t help
thinking of his own loved ones, particularly his mother, when he hears others tell stories about
the people they have lost.
“Like everything else, it gets easier. Doesn't go away. It gets easier,” he says.
He says he fell into a depression for years after her death. Lera says Demetrius’ faith was
ultimately what helped pull him out. Demetrius is a devout Baptist; he believes the people he
talks to at funerals are who God has put in his path.
Demetrius is a member of the Third Baptist Church in the Grand Center Arts District, where he also coached a youth basketball league for years. He tries to attend services every Sunday,
though recently it has been hard to leave his father, who needs 24-hour care.
Though he hasn’t told his extended family yet, Demetrius plans to buy more plots in
Bellefontaine when he can.
He also knows his father’s health is deteriorating.
“He's ready because he's asking ‘Why am I still here?,’” Demetrius says. He tells his father that
the next time he talks to God, he should ask him.
As difficult as it is to think about, Demetrius is preparing for his father’s departure, as well.
Frank Jr., who served in the Navy, won’t be among the family plots at Bellefontaine.
Demetrius has arranged for his father to be buried at sea.
View this article on stltoday.com
