Janet Gail Emerson Briley

Janet Emerson Briley passed away on November 13, 2023, in Birmingham, Alabama, at the age of 85. She was born on April 29, 1938, in Birmingham, Alabama to her beloved parents Oscar and Lillian Emerson. Jan was an adored mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, and friend, leaving behind a legacy of love and cherished memories.

Jan grew up in the East Lake community and was an active member of East Lake United Methodist church for most of her life. There she sang in the choir, was a youth director, served on the staff parish relations committee and was a true servant leader. When AIDS first made its appearance in the 1980's, Jan learned everything she could about it and even started an AIDS care team at East Lake UMC through UAB's 1917 clinic.

Jan attended Barrett Elementary School, was a graduate of Woodlawn High School, attended Auburn University and received her R.N. from Jefferson State Community College. Jan was an OBGYN nurse for more than 25 years, most of those years with the Jefferson County Health Department. She was a fantastic patient advocate, caregiver and educator and was well loved by her patients. While working as a nurse at Jefferson County Health Department, Jan realized that many of the young mothers she was taking care of weren't exactly on a level playing field when it came to being informed. She pushed for and assisted in developing programs that helped educate these young women on childbirth, nutrition, mental health, child-rearing, careers and even furthering their education. During her time at the Health Department, and long after, Jan would frequently have a chance encounter with one of her former patients at the mall or some other public place. They would bubble over with excitement as they breathlessly filled her in on what their lives currently looked like.

Jan was a lifelong lover of music and cherished the arts in general. She often wept at the beauty of a dance or a song. In her youth, she was in a trio where she sang alto and played the ukulele at various events and venues. Her love of reading was legendary within the family. She "needed" to read a book every week in order to satisfy her cravings and often failed at this, instead reading her book in four or five days. It is believed her two favorite books were "To Kill a Mockingbird" and Stephen King's "The Stand". In "To Kill a Mockingbird," she had a favorite scene. In that scene, the highly ethical lawyer, Atticus Finch, enters the courtroom. As he enters, one of his children is told to stand up because "your daddy is passing by." Jan said she loved the scene because it was showing respect for the reason of being moral and just and also because it reminded her of her dad, who she said had the same gentle, humble and fair nature as Atticus Finch. Jan had those traits as well.

Jan's favorite places were Auburn University, where she could often be seen on Saturday's in the fall, Ruffner Mountain, a place she loved her entire life and hiked even in the last few years, and Camp Sumatanga, where much of her spiritual journey took place.

Janet Emerson Briley loved her family above all else and will be dearly missed by her children, Jody (David) Weinstein, Paul McLain, and Kristi (Alfie) Chambers, her grandchildren Sean McLain, Jessie McLain, Emerson Chambers, Berkley Chambers, Briley Weinstein, and Jack Chambers, as well as her great-grandson, Kaiden McLain. She is also survived by her niece Amy Emerson and nephews Nathaniel Emerson and Will Emerson. Janet was preceded in death by her parents, her loving husband of 44 years, James Briley, and her cherished brothers, Bill Emerson and Bob Emerson.