Christopher Murray Briggs

Chris is survived by his beloved wife and partner of thirteen years, Kate Tschakovsky; his children Jean-Paul Briggs and Emily Briggs and his step-daughter Michelle Pratt; his grandchildren Rhyley, Ravyn and Gemma Briggs; his brother Trevor Briggs; his nephew Connor Briggs-Morris, his wife Diane Maynard and their son Arthur; his niece Amelia Briggs-Morris; and by his sister Natalie Briggs and her husband Joseph Boissonneau. He will be fondly remembered by his dear friends Craig and Karen Anhorn, Tony and Kathy Smith-Iatesta, and Jennifer Venner.

Chris joined the Governor General’s Horse Guards in in the early 1970s, and received the Queen’s Commission as an officer in 1974. He held a number of roles during his service, including Troop Leader and Recruiting Officer, and was warmly remembered for his thoughtful and inclusive approach to welcoming recruits of all backgrounds. He later returned to the Regiment in 2009, serving the Association in leadership roles including President and Treasurer for seventeen years. His dear friends in the regiment recall him fondly as “an outstanding troop leader, a dedicated officer, and above all, a good guy.” In addition to his military commitments, Chris was a professional in the insurance industry, specializing in underwriting major construction projects.

Chris completed a Bachelor’s degree in the Department of English Literature and Philosophy at Trinity College, University of Toronto in 1978. He cherished a lifelong love of reading and amassed a library of over five hundred books, and he was known to carry a book in his bag, everywhere he went. He appreciated all genres, particularly historical literature, spy and fantasy novels, as well as non-fiction books on history and politics. This love of literature inspired Chris become a writer himself, and he enrolled in both the Humber School for Writers and the Creative Writing Certificate from the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies in 2012. He later earned a Post-Graduate Certificate and Letter of Distinction from the Humber School for Writers. He joined the informal 11th Floor Writers group in 2014 and contributed to the collection, Voices From the 11th Floor: A Collection of Poetry, Short Stories, and Personal Essays, published in 2018 by The Soapbox Press. His debut historical novel Trial was published in 2019 by The Soapbox Press and was a finalist for the First Horizon Award. Most recently, Chris completed the Novel Writing Certificate program at Stanford Continuing Studies. He finished his second historical novel, The Hunger Winter, in spring 2026.

Chris Briggs will be remembered for his lively conversation, his deep curiosity about the world, his loyalty to his friends and love for his family, as well as for his years of duty, serving his country. He will be dearly missed.

According to his final wishes, Chris will be cremated. The family will hold a private celebration of life.