Myrtle Beach Pelicans lose another member of their extended family to coronavirus
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are mourning the loss of another person affiliated with the franchise who has suffered a coronavirus-related death.
Cody Bryant, who served as an assistant groundskeeper for the Chicago Cubs’ Advanced Class A affiliate for the 2017-18 seasons, died Monday at the age of 25.
“He was a great young man. He always had a smile. I never saw him with a frown,” Pelicans general manager Ryan Moore said Thursday. “He had a ton of energy and everybody loved him.”
In early May, the team’s 46-year-old bus driver, Terrance Timmons of Hemingway, died from complications from the coronavirus. He drove for the team for four seasons from 2016-19.
A GoFundMe account to assist Bryant’s family was established by Greg Burgess, the Greenville Drive Vice President of Stadium and Field Operations who previously worked with him.
According to the GoFundMe post, Bryant died Monday after an incident at his home that was complicated by COVID-19.
“His sudden loss has left all his family and friends shocked and in disbelief,” the post reads. “For anyone who knew Cody, understand that his light shined bright in anyone and anything he came across.
“. . . His passion showed through the impressive condition he had all his ball fields in.”
Bryant was a 2013 graduate of Clover High School who earned a degree in horticulture at Spartanburg Community College in 2016, according to his obituary through M.L. Ford & Sons Funeral Home in Clover.
He worked with a few minor league teams including the Drive and Pelicans before he was hired prior to the 2019 season as the head groundskeeper for the Hickory Crawdads, the Texas Rangers’ Class A affiliate in the South Atlantic League. The Pelicans were a Rangers’ affiliate from 2011-14.
“He was very talented in his field,” Moore said. “. . . We encouraged him to take that opportunity [in Hickory] and we were excited to see where his career was going to go from there.”
Bryant’s GoFundMe page had a goal of $5,000 that had already been exceeded Thursday. Bryant’s obituary says a celebration of life will be held at a later time for the safety of his family and friends.
The Pelicans set up a GoFundMe page for Timmons’ family that exceeded the goal as well.
The Pelicans’ 2020 season was canceled because of the spread of the coronavirus.
This story was originally published August 6, 2020 at 2:48 PM.
