WATERVILLE -- Kenneth Paul Bryant, 48, passed away on Thursday, April 1, 2010, due to pneumonia and congestive heart failure following a two-week stay at MaineGeneral Medical Center in Waterville and one week at the Augusta campus.He was born in Knox on March 22, 1962, the sixth child of eight born to Joseph H. and Beatrice E. (Gardiner) Bryant. Ken was a graduate of Mount View High School in Thorndike and attended the University of Maine at Orono for four years. While attending UMO he played chess, representing the university at many tournaments, and was their top chess player.He moved to Augusta as a young man and was employed as a cook by Bonanza Restaurant for many years. Later in life Ken moved to Waterville where he also enjoyed his talent of preparing meals. His friends and family especially enjoyed his lasagna. He had been living in Waterville the last 24 years. During his time in Waterville, he was very involved with the Waterville Social Club where he had held many different offices and had made many friends. When he and his siblings were younger, they would take trips in the family motor home. Ken many times would pick the campground and act as the navigator by reading the map. All five of the Bryant brothers had their own homemade unicycles in which they rode in many parades including Fourth of July parades in Belfast and Brooks as well as many other small towns throughout Maine. A trick bicycle was used in many of the shows as well. Ken loved to juggle while on his unicycle and his youngest sister, Fay, would ride on his shoulders five to eight feet off the ground. They also performed at the Mount View High School talent shows and were seen on television as well. Another of his enjoyments was painting with pastels, charcoal, and oil. His art teacher held him in very high esteem. Some of his work is currently on display and available at Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville and Chase Family Farm Bakery in Augusta at the entrance to the post office. He was predeceased by his older brother, Timothy Bryant, on Dec. 31, 2006.Ken will be sadly missed by his parents, Joe and Bea Bryant; his three brothers, Clayton and his family of Knox, Malcolm and his family of Belfast and the Philippines, and Roy and his family of Freedom; his three sisters, Katherine Thorpe and her family of Warner, N.H., Julie Patterson and her family of Thorndike, and Fay Moody and her family, also of Thorndike; his special friend and art teacher, Natasha Mayers; his many, many friends at the Waterville Social Club; as well as several nieces, nephews, and cousins.Visiting hours will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, April 5, at Lawry Brothers Funeral Home, 107 Main St. in Fairfield. A funeral service will take place at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 6, at the Unity Centre for the Performing Arts, 42 Depot St. in Unity. Burial will occur later in the spring.In lieu of flowers, donations in Ken's memory may be made to: Motivational Services, Inc., Waterville Social Club -- Art Group, P.O. Box 229, Augusta, ME 04330.Condolences may be expressed at www.lawrybrothers.comArrangements are by Lawry Brothers Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 107 Main St., Fairfield; 453-6049 or (800) 660-2111.