Jack Daniel Briggs, a funeral director serving the communities of Davidson, Montgomery, Randolph and Richmond counties for nearly 65 years, died Monday, March 25 at age 84 after an extended illness.
He was born May 11, 1939 in Reidsville to Sidney O. Briggs and Ola Beanblossom Briggs.
After the death of his father in 1942, Briggs and his mother moved back to the family homeplace on Floyd Church Road in Lexington. In 1957, he was in the last graduating class of Southmont High School.
Briggs began working in the summer of 1959 for the late C.C. Hoover, who owned and operated a funeral home and furniture store in Denton. He graduated from Mars Hill College in 1959 and earned a B.S. Degree in Business from High Point College in 1961. He was licensed by the State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors in 1965.
He operated one of the largest family owned funeral companies in North Carolina, including Briggs Funeral Home in Denton and Candor, Davidson Funeral Home in Lexington and Winston-Salem, Piedmont Funeral Home in Lexington, Carter Funeral Home in Rockingham and Ellerbe; Davidson Crematory, and Mountain View Memorial Gardens.
He faithfully served communities across Central North Carolina with compassion for seven decades and possessed an encyclopedic recall of the families he served even decades later — inspiring several generations of funeral directors throughout his long career.
Briggs was also proud to own Rex Furniture, the last remaining furniture store and funeral home combination in North Carolina. He is a past president of the North Carolina Funeral Directors Association and served as the North Carolina Policy Board member on the National Funeral Directors Association. He is a former member and past president of the North Carolina Board of Funeral Service.
A member of Central United Methodist Church in Denton, Briggs was active in the civic, political and religious life of Davidson County throughout his life. He served as a director and chairman of the board of First Bancorp for 39 years. He was a member of Denton Lions Club and served as a past district governor of Lions International. He was also a longtime member of Lexington Kiwanis Club. He served 20 years, including 12 as chairman, on the Davidson County Board of Education.
In 2003, the football stadium at South Davidson High School was named Briggs Stadium in recognition of his and Joan’s service to the community. In October 2012, North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue awarded Jack the “Order of The Long Leaf Pine” — the state’s highest civilian award for his service to North Carolina.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Joan Caroll Briggs; his son, Daniel L. Briggs and wife, Laurie of Lexington; his daughter, Jodie Carroll Briggs of Brooklyn, New York; and his grandchildren, Sidney Leier Briggs, Lyndon Carroll Briggs, Hadley Worth Briggs and Jack Daniel Briggs II.
A funeral service will be held at 3 p.m. Friday, March 29 at Central United Methodist Church, by the Revs. Amy Hutchinson and Dr. Ray Howell III. Burial will be held at Mountain View Memorial Gardens.
The family will receive friends from 5-8 p.m. Thursday at Briggs Funeral Home in Denton. Mr. Briggs will lie in state from 10 a.m. to noon Friday at Davidson Funeral Home in Lexington prior to the funeral service.
In lieu of flowers, memorials should be made to: Central United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 126, Denton NC 27239; or to the Jack and Joan Briggs Scholarship Fund, c/o Davidson County Community College Foundation, P.O. Box 1287, Lexington NC 27293.
Online condolences can be made to the family at briggsfuneralhome.com.
