Ronald John Briggs Sr.

It is with great sadness that the family of Ronald John Briggs, Sr., age 61, of New River, announce that he passed away on Thursday, December 27, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona after fighting a courageous battle with cancer. At the end, cancer won his body but it never took his spirit and he leaves us to remember him with many stories (not all of them fit for mixed company), really great memories, and all the love in our hearts. He was born on August 21, 1957 to the late Lester Briggs of Addison, New York and the late Helen Gill of Richmond, Virginia. On September 1, 1997 he married Lisa Bates in Richmond, Virginia, and together they created a blended family of 5 children. As he insisted from day one, “There are no steps or halves here. You’re all brothers and sisters, and we are mom and dad to each of you, we are a family now.” Easier said than done, but he was right and together we did become a family.

Ron was an extremely talented finish carpenter who could do anything carpentry related, and designed many projects on a sheet of notebook paper (or in his head) and then built them. He particularly hated doing mechanical work, but often swore his way through to a final repair on his own to keep our vehicles on the road. Ron’s last job was as a trim carpenter for Door Works of Tempe, Arizona which he truly enjoyed. He enjoyed sharing his talent and was not above helping anyone, but especially his family. Ron took many phone calls with questions about various projects and was always willing to stop what he was doing and offer his opinion on the best way to accomplish the task. Often, he leaped into the truck and drove down to help if he thought his message wasn’t getting received correctly. There was a right way to do something and that was Ron’s way. He was almost always right.

Ron was a Harley man, and some of our favorite times were spent ignoring the chores for a few hours to take a ride on the motorcycle. It didn’t matter where, just to feel the wind and maybe if we needed a destination, pick a place a couple hours away and stop in for a burger and a beer. Ron definitely liked to have fun and annually he and his wife and the kids who were tall enough would take a trip to Busch Gardens to ride the roller coasters where he often chose the front seat. “Front seat of the roller coaster baby, it’s sort of like our life!” he would say.

Knowing that life on this earth is not a guarantee, he wisely lived every day and always made certain to say the “I love you’s”, have as much fun as possible even when working, and make the memories with his family and friends. A very fine man with a huge presence has moved on from this world to the next, and he will be sorely missed by all who knew him, but most especially his wife, his children and grandchildren, his family, and his closest friends.

Ron is survived by his loving spouse of 21 years, Lisa; 5 children Stephanie Briggs of Richmond, Virginia, Ronald John Briggs, Jr. of Burlington Mills, North Carolina, Tiffany Briggs of Phoenix, Arizona, Jennifer Sochocki of Kingman, Arizona and Jason Sochocki and his wife Jeniffer of Phoenix, Arizona; his Grandchildren Michael Berkheimer, Austin Minion, and Luke Whittington; his Brothers Gary (Theresa) Briggs and Larry (Shawn) Stone of Richmond, Virginia; his Sisters Kathy (Bill) Maylor of Panama City, Florida, Diane Ferguson and Lisa (Duane) Edwards of Richmond, Virginia and many other loving family and friends. He was preceded in death by his beloved granddaughter Skylar Michele in 2014.

Memorial services will be held at 10:00 am on Tuesday, January 1st, 2019 at Shadow Mountain Mortuary, 2350 East Greenway Road, Phoenix, Arizona, 85022 with Ronda Berkey officiating.

In lieu of flowers, please once in a while, just help someone who needs a little hand up and think of Ron when you do. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture – pretend to drop a $10 bill on the floor and hand it to “dad” who is obviously homeless and huddled over the largest coffee he can afford in the local McDonalds. He was a great believer in Karma, and the little things mattered to him. We always had what we needed as a result, and if we didn’t have it, we didn’t need it.