Obituary of John Briggs

John "Jack" M. Briggs, 73, of Homer NY, died peacefully on March 29th, 2018, in Cortland NY. He is predeceased by his parents, Walter W. Briggs and Jane Miller Briggs, also formerly of Homer, NY. He is survived by his sister, Sally Maitland, of Charleston, South Carolina; his children, Jeffrey Briggs of Cortland, New York, Victoria Oxholm (Thomas) of Brattleboro, VT, John Briggs (Ginger) of Spencerport, NY, and Jarr Briggs of Ithaca, NY; 11 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Jack was born on April 4th, 1944, in Cortland, NY. Jack attended Homer High School and was proud of being a four sport letterman for Homer, including his turn as a star running back for the Trojans in the early 60s. He forged lifelong friendships with his fellow Homer classmates Shelley Riter, Mike Burns, and Danny Miller. Jack was also a proud alumnus of Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, MA.

In the mid-1960s, Jack joined his family business, Briggs Cadillac, formerly of Homer, NY, alongside his father Walter and his grandfather, former Homer Mayor John B. Briggs. In the 70s, Jack took over operations for the business and renamed the dealership Briggs Cadillac-Subaru, opening one of the first Subaru salesrooms on the East Coast. After the dealership closed in 1986, Jack worked for and maintained relationships with area dealerships and was employed at Suburban Propane up until his retirement in the early 2000s.

Jack's lifelong residence in the area was directly tied to his love of the outdoors. Having spent much of his childhood on Skaneateles Lake, he later bought a home in Glen Haven, living lakeside for over 40 years. An avid hunter, Jack especially loved deer hunting in the region and could be spotted every year around (or admittedly, sometimes slightly before) hunting season, plodding along the hillsides and woods around the lake and Scott, NY. Jack was proudest of the cabin he built on Mill Creek Lake and would sit for hours on that front porch, humbled by the peaks and wild sprawled before him. Later in life, he took up residence on Grout Brook, where he loved hosting one of the best fishing spots on that creek. Jack enjoyed walks on Glen Haven Road, he loved splitting and cutting wood, and he treasured the companionship of a loyal dog. Jack was also a fan of Syracuse University Athletics, he loved hunting rifles and had an interest in coins, and enjoyed good food and drink, rarely passing up on any chance at prime rib.

Calling hours will be held Saturday, April 7th from 11AM to 2PM at Wright-Beard Funeral Home, 9 Lincoln Ave, Cortland, NY. A private family interment will follow at Glenwood Cemetery, Homer N.Y. In lieu of flowers, donations in his honor may be made to the Parkinson's Foundation, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, or to Cortland Rehabilitation Park. The family also like to thank the Whispering Pines Unit at Cortland Rehabilitation Park and Reverend Jim Kane.