Edward B. Briggs Jr.

Finally, it caught up to me. But, first let me tell you a little bit about myself. I was the religion specialist for the Times-Dispatch for 25 years. I left in 1995 and I enjoyed the run until then. I believed fervently in religion writing with its emphasis on the news and promoted it among newspapers around the nation. I directed that zeal through the presidency of the Religion Newswriters Association of the U. S. and Canada. We were building on the shoulders of other giants in the religion newswriting field and the RNA finally bloomed among the respected journalist groups. It lost its mind in 2005 and awarded me the William A. Reed Lifetime Achievement Award. I had already retired and I appreciated it. I was out of the field because I have been fighting heart disease for about 20 years. That involved a bunch of procedures-some were scary, some ho-hum repeats of the stuff before. Felt better after each one. Well, that stuff finally wears off.

What’s important to know is that over the years I’ve loved my wife of nearly 62 years, Janice Briggs, who put up with me in our Lakeside home in Henrico County, my sister, the late Pat Whitaker of Greenfield, Mass. and her son Ed Whitaker; my daughter, Kristi B. Kinsella of Glen Allen and her husband, Peter J. Kinsella and their children Isabel, Sam and Peter; my son, Ted Briggs of Lebanon, PA and his wife, Kimberly Briggs and their children Collin and Michaela. I loved each of them to my toes. Listen, I liked a lot of things in my previous life: serving in the United States Army 1959-1962; how about that journalism degree in 1965 from the University of Denver? And the times Jan and I had in the Rocky Mountains, including that thing when we brought home spiders in the pine cones we gathered for her school classroom.

Eventually, I acknowledged my heart problem, so, I fell back on my swimming ability that in my younger years involved victories in the interscholastic, college and military competitions. I leaned on that cardiovascular life and pushed myself to make the heart work and be strong. It kept things going a long time, even though there were many medical procedures. Those of you who’ve been down that road, stay on it. That stuff will keep you alive for a long time. Join a YMCA. You know when the end is coming (and it’s coming for each of us), it’s important to take a look at the steps ahead. Some people - I, at least among some people - got a long enough heads up to start the preparation -funeral arrangements- to make things easier on those you love. (Don’t worry. Once you start, you’ll get it done and will feel better about it and it will help you through the worry about the grief that will follow your passing).

As I write this, I’m ambivalent about any memorial. Memorials and funerals are not for the dead- we’re already gone- they’re for the living. So, this is the spot in an obituary when you talk about what can be done in lieu of flowers. You may have some special concerns. Send money to them. My two favorite recipients are/were Heifer International and Doctors Without Borders.