Jay Briscoe

Jay Lewis Briscoe, 84, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, August 12, 2014 at a Logan, Utah care center. Jay was born September 24, 1929, the third of six children of Wilford and Elna Johnson Briscoe, in Preston Idaho. In his childhood he remembered laying in the farm fields of Tyhee hearing "J boy" called out by his mother Elna, as she worried for his safety due to the nearby canals. Jay graduated from Pocatello High School and soon after was drafted into the US Army, the 9th of January 1951, to serve in the Korean conflict. He was honorably discharged December 10, 1952, after receiving many valor awards including The Purple Heart. His beautiful future wife, Betty Lou Beebe, stole his heart at the "Deleta" in Pocatello, Idaho. They were married in the Idaho Falls Temple on July 8, 1954 and raised five children; LuAnn, Greg, Brian, Kristi, and Allyson. His employment eventually took them to Utah where he worked at Hill Air Force Base. He began working as a federal employee as a machinist and eventually retired in 1990 as a program manager of the Maverick air-to-ground rocket guided missile. As an advocate for special needs people, Jay served as the president of the Utah Association for Retarded Citizens. As such, he was awarded the "Don Quixote" award for preserving the rights and privileges of disabled people. Jay was the mayor of Portage, Utah and also founder, editor, and publisher of The Portage Town Crier. Jay was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and served in various callings including bishoprics as ward clerk and also a full-time mission with his wife Betty to the St. Louis, Missouri mission. Jay was a great storyteller and enjoyed cowboy poetry and wrote some of his own. He also enjoyed coaching his sons in baseball, and was a big supporter of Davis High and BYU athletics. Jay is survived by his children; Greg (JoAnn) Briscoe, Tokyo, Japan, Brian (Linnea) Briscoe, St. Peters, Missouri, Kristi (Raymond) Galloway, Nibley , Utah, Allyson (Brett) Cragun, Syracuse, Utah, four siblings; Harold Briscoe, Gwen Manning, Merrilyn Holman, and David Briscoe, 18 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife Betty, his daughter LuAnn, granddaughter, Hilary, and his brother Sam. Funeral services will be held at 11 AM, Saturday, August 16, 2014 at the Portage LDS ward building. A viewing will be held Friday, August 15, from 6-8 PM at the Portage ward building and again one hour prior to the services there at the Portage LDS church. Military Rites will conclude the services at the Portage cemetery.

Visitation

08/15/2014 18:00

20:00:00

Fielding Cemetery

4900 S. Yellowstone Highway

Idaho Falls

Idaho

83401



Funeral Service

08/16/2014 11:00



LDS Portage Utah Ward



Portage

Utah