John H. Briscoe

 

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John Harold Briscoe, 67, beloved husband, father, brother, uncle and friend, passed away March 27, 2012 at the Gettysburg Memorial Hospital.

Mass of Christian Burial was held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, March 31, 2012 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Gettysburg with Fr. Jerry Kopel officiating. Burial followed in the church cemetery. Visitation was held from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Friday, March 30, 2012 with a 7:00 p.m. scripture service at the church.

John was born in Pierre, SD on March 22, 1945 to J. Harold and Emma (Schulz) Briscoe.  He lived and worked in Potter County all his life.

He graduated from Gettysburg High School in 1963.  It was high school that he discovered a talent for acting.  John enjoyed theatre and was active in plays and productions in high school, college and afterwards, including coaching a summer community theatre program in Gettysburg.

After obtaining a major in Agriculture and a minor in Theatre from SDSU, John attended 2 years of graduate studies at the University of Wyoming and at the University of Montana, to pursue his love of acting.  He returned to Gettysburg to farm with his brother, Jim, whom he loved dearly.

John was a pious and a spiritual man.  He was a member of Sacred Heart Church where he served as a lector all his adult life.  He also taught religious education classes, was a song leader and a Eucharistic minister.  He even considered the priesthood as a young man, but he was meant to be a husband and father.

John met the love of his life, Rita Kay, on a blind date.  She was in Gettysburg as part of her nursing education.  John and Rita hit it off, enjoying a little drive-in movie and a lot of conversation that first night.  By the end of the date, John knew he had met the woman he wanted to be the mother of his children.  Rita had to return to nursing school, but John wrote Rita love letters every day for 8 months.  John and Rita Kay Haman got hitched September 25, 1975.  Throughout their marriage, John was a devoted husband.  Every morning for 36 years, John started the day telling Rita he loved her and repeated his love for her several times throughout the day.

John also loved his children.  He believed that all life is precious and should be celebrated, protected and nurtured.  He reveled in family life.  He was proud of all his children and loved to spend time with them.  He relished his role as ‘Papa’ to his grandchildren, and usually had a new picture or story about the grandchildren to share with anyone who asked.  His children and grandchildren were blessed to spend time with him the weekend before he passed.  He and Rita saw them all.

John’s life revolved around God and his family.  Over the years, he enjoyed many activities including theatre, music, photography, hunting, genealogy and gardening.  He was well read and loved words.  In high school, John was known to read the dictionary if he was bored in study hall.  He had an extensive vocabulary and he loved to share new words with his family and friends.  He knew what the words meant and how to spell them, too.  One special word was reserved for his wife, Rita-“pulchritudinous”-(meaning extreme beauty).  His co-workers at ACE Hardware were frequently enlightened with a new word.  Scrabble was a family favorite, with John often winning the game.

Surviving John are his wife: Rita of Gettysburg; his children: Angela (Brian Scott) Harvill of Sioux Falls, Laura Lea (Patrick) Kolker of Aberdeen, and John J. (Marissa) Briscoe of Sioux Falls; grandchildren: Michael, Alayna, Rebecca, and Stephanie Harvill, Sean Kolker, and Emma Briscoe; brother: James H. (Sharon) Briscoe of Gettysburg and a host of nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Carolyn Henry; and infant grandson, Joshua J. Briscoe.

His “new life” was explained simply and delightfully by one of his grandchildren.  “Papa has wings and a halo, he lives up in the sky.”

In lieu of flowers, please direct memorials to the Sacred Heart Building Fund, PO Box 285, Gettysburg, SD 57442

Luce Funeral Home of Gettysburg has been entrusted with John’s arrangements.