Luella A. Briggs
She liked bright lipstick and hair bows and big dogs and church music. She was famous for her multi-colored Jello molds and infamous for culinary disasters like peanut butter soup. She drove too fast and shopped too much. Luella A. Briggs (nee McComber) died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday, May 5, 2024 in Lady Lake, Florida at the age of 86.
A native of Lake Placid, she was running The Holiday Motel in 1959 when she met land surveyor and civil engineer Norman Briggs; the man who would become her husband of 54 years. The couple settled in Jay, where Luella grew to love woodland walks and became an avid bird watcher, and filled their home with four daughters.
She found her niche as a teacher, first with Kindergarteners, and later with Precept Ministries, a ladies bible study. Luella taught herself to type and again found purpose in serving as a church secretary for Independent Baptist Church in Keeseville. She never met a church bulletin she did not love, and every Sunday you could hear her silky-smooth alto voice float across the sanctuary. Luella’s life was not without hardship, but she proved to be an overcomer. A Type 1 diabetic for over 50 years, she was fearless and became a pioneer in Insulin pump management, sharing hope, support and knowledge with other North Country families.
In Luella’s later years, she enjoyed reading, tending her indoor plants, feeding her birds, and loving all God’s creatures, great and small. Her family affectionately referred to her as “Doctor Doolittle,” because of her unique connection with animals that brought her face-to-face with skunks, porcupines, and black bears wandering through the yard on a lazy summer day. One would be remiss not to mention her adoration for ladybugs, and her protective and watchful eye over them.
Luella’s faith and perseverance were as bold as her signature, beautiful red hair. She loved Jesus, and was never shy in talking about His presence in her life. Luella will be remembered as a gift to her family and friends, and as a person who always shared in others’ struggles, hardships and sorrows. She encouraged friends and strangers alike with her unique card ministry, “Caring by Sharing,” handcrafting each card with a special sentiment for the occasion. Her daughters were blessed to care lovingly for her as her health failed.
Luella is survived by her children Kim (Greg) Thomas, Linda (Kurt) Nichol, Susan (Von) Lohr and Laurie Briggs; her sister Carol (Victor) Kraus; seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband Norman Briggs, brother Eldred McComber, and parents Annabelle (nee Hastings) and Willard McComber.
A private Celebration of Life service will be held in late summer. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the Jay Community News or GraceWorks Ministries (Franklin, Tennessee).