Jackie Harold "Jack" Briley

Jack Briley,88, passed away Thursday, November 19, 2020 following a battle with cancer. He was born, Jackie Harold Briley, on October 18, 1932 in Dutch Mills, Arkansas to Clarence Emmanuel and Jimmy Katherine (Hodges) Briley. The family eventually settled in Muskogee, Oklahoma where he attended Sequoyah Elementary School and Alice Robertson Junior High School prior to graduating from Muskogee Central High School in 1952. While in high school he developed a love for a print shop class. He was employed during high school by Hoffman Speed Press Printing in Muskogee, Oklahoma. At the age of nineteen he was drafted into the U.S. Army and received basic training at Fort Hood, Texas. He served in the Korean War and was a Corporal (CPL) in Co A 14th Engineer Combat Battalion. He received the following medals: Korean Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal. Following an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army, Jack returned to Muskogee and was employed by Container Corporation of America (CCA). He started as a young man on the loading dock. Following promotions, he was a corrugator supervisor and retired after thirty-three years as a foreman. While employed fulltime with CCA, he built beautiful homes and remodeled houses and businesses as a side job. He was a talented builder and completed his last house in 1999. He married Patsy L. (Scott) Briley on June 25, 1965. They raised their family and made their home just south of Muskogee and enjoyed over 50 years of marriage. During his lifetime, Jack went on annual hunting trips to Colorado and Wyoming in pursuit of deer and elk. He also enjoyed football, carpentry and woodworking, water skiing and scuba diving. Upon retirement, he and Patsy enjoyed attending their grandchildren’s ballgames and activities. He was often a guest at Veteran’s Day school programs and spoke to classes when invited. A highlight during retirement was a Washington, D.C. trip honoring veterans in 2018 sponsored by Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight. He was saved and baptized in April of 1975. He was an active member of Keefeton Trinity Baptist Church until his health declined. He was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence and Jimmie Briley; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Owen and Iva Scott; his wife, Patsy; his sister Alma Faye (Briley) Nickels; and his brother, Robert “Bob” Briley. Jack is survived by his daughters, Tammy Crawley and husband Mike of Muskogee, OK, and Amy Rice and husband Kelly of Cameron, OK; grandchildren, Sarah Crawley Rogers and husband Levi, Matthew Crawley and wife Jessica, Aaron Crawley and wife Sidney, Rachel Rice, Jonathan Rice, Nathan Rice, and Seth Rice; great-grandchildren, Jackson Rogers and Amelia Crawley; sister, Margie Sue Bohanon of Midwest City, OK; sister-in-law, Patricia Anne Briley of Savannah, GA; special niece, Katie Garner and husband Brian; a very special nephew he loved as his son, Philip Nickels of Muskogee, OK; along with a host of other relatives and friends. A visitation will be 1PM-5PM, Sunday, November 22, 2020 at Cornerstone Funeral Home in Muskogee, Oklahoma. A celebration of Jack’s life will be 2PM, Monday, November 23, 2020 at Keefeton Trinity Baptist Church with Rev. Dean Haley officiating. Interment will follow at Agnew Cemetery with Matthew Crawley, Aaron Crawley, Levi Rogers, Jonathan Rice, Nathan Rice and Josh Garner serving as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be Jackson Rogers and Seth Briley Rice.

Jackie Harold "Jack" Briley

October 18, 1932 - November 19, 2020