June Elaine Briggs

June Briggs was born August 24, 1926, in Twin Falls Idaho. Her parents, Fred and Ruby Hoops, owned several ranches in Southern Idaho where June spent much of her childhood. When her father met her mother he was 'breaking broncs’ in Wyoming for a living, and he introduced June to horses and riding at an early age. She ‘barrel raced’ at local rodeos and was a skilled, avid rider much of her life. Her father left the cattle business in the 40’s and founded Hoops Construction Company which eventually became the largest privately owned road construction company in the West, a competitor of Morrison Knudsen and Bechtel. Hoops Construction built many of the major roads connecting the remote towns of Nevada and Idaho. Some of the venues were so remote there was no accommodation, and as a baby June sometimes lived in a sheep wagon with her parents and older brother Bill for weeks on end. They created key parts of the network of roads and freeways that link key towns and cities in the West.

June was fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time on many occasions. Her family was invited to the opening of the The Pink Flamingo, Las Vegas’s first luxury casino, while building the road from Henderson to Las Vegas. She also attended the glamorous grand opening of Sun Valley ski resort in the company of many celebrities and learned to ski. Her youth gave her exposure to interesting people and experiences, and she spent a few weeks of the winter with her grandmother, Tilly Hoops, in Santa Monica where Tilly rented an apartment overlooking the beach to avoid the cold Idaho winters. Her parents took her on the inaugural cruise of one of the Matson’s lines first luxury cruise ships from L.A. to Hawaii when she was 14 where she learned a bit of surfing. June was also an accomplished pianist and singer and loved to travel. She drove her sons and mother Ruby across America to Key West on the spur of the moment and took her daughter Cherri to Europe in the 70’s. She was a serious dog lover and raised labradors and showed ribbon- winning dobermans with her son Mike. She loved swimming and the sea and often talked about moving to California but her roots were too strong and she stayed in Twin Falls all her life.

Her grandparents William and Tilly Hoops were one of three families who dropped off the wagon train and settled in Rock Creek Canyon, founding the town of Twin Falls. Both came from Germany to NYC in the late 1800’s by ship. Her grandmother was 14 and traveled across the Atlantic alone. Tilly met her husband in NY and took the train to St. Louis where they joined a wagon train. She and her husband Bill created the first luxury hotels in Twin Falls, The Park and the Rogerson, and other businesses. She was proud that streets in Twin Falls were named for her family. June’s great grandmother was also an intrepid pioneer and came alone from Sweden to Colorado in her late teens where she owned and operated a restaurant during the Gold Rush. Bright, driven, highly ethical and strong willed, June would have been a fantastic businesswoman if not for the social restrictions of her times. She managed the accounts for her father’s company for over 20 years and managed her own finances until the end.

June married Warren Briggs in 1948 after Warren left the Navy at the end of WWII. They met at the University of Idaho at a dance for Warren’s fraternity and her sorority, Pi Beta Phi. Warren was a tremendous athlete and boxed and played football for the Navy and the University of Idaho. June was a beauty and one of the glamour girls on campus, always dressed to the nines. Her fashion sense set the standard. She loved to dance and dress formally, and was the only girl at the university to have her own car. The glamour girl with the raven black hair and blue eyes and the football player cut quite the figure.

Shortly after they married, Warren went to work for her father and June returned to the semi-nomadic life of building roads in the far corners of the West from Montana through Idaho and Nevada. Their main base through the years was Twin Falls. They had four children: Vicki, Cherri, Steven and Michael. After university they went on to strong careers or raising family. June’s eldest daughter Vicki taught school and raised horses for years and now lives in Ohio with her husband Brad Nelson who recently retired as President of a large cheese manufacturing company. Two of their three sons, Brandon and Alex, live nearby while Chris, the eldest, now resides in Texas with his wife and 3 children. Cherri and Mike both live part time in Africa where Mike, as a wild animal veterinarian, conducts big cat research and Cherri runs safaris for her African travel company EXPLORE Inc. Mike was veterinary for the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago for many years but now runs his own consulting business. June always wondered how they wound up in remote Africa, but clearly they inherited the pioneering, nomadic spirit of their ancestors. Cherri and her husband Richard Wilson live half the year on the Zambezi River in Zambia. Richard created a community development program for impoverished Africans which he manages. Mike’s wife Beth Ament has her own company training animals in zoos. June lost a beloved son, Steve, in 2013, who had been a successful high technology salesman and also loved adventure. Steve completed a 600 km first descent by kayak of the Lugenda River in Mozambique with his sister Cherri in 2003. Steve’s son Chase passed at an early age.

June defined the word 'independent' and lived on her own at her home in Idaho with minimal help until the last few days of her life. She was a devoted mother and remained a loving, supportive force and influence on her family until the end. June passed away on April 7th, 2016 in Twin Falls. Always a private person, she had requested to have a private family ceremony. She chose to be cremated so that she could ‘be sprinkled’ in the Rock Creek Canyon and at one of her father’s ranches in the South Hills. She will also get to travel to Africa at last.

Arrangements and cremation are under the direction of White Mortuary, Chapel by the Park, Twin Falls.

Condolences may be left for the family by visiting www.whitemortuary.com.