Marva J. Briggs

Marva June Atkinson Briggs, age 83, of Rigby, died at The Gardens in Rigby, on Friday, December 11, 2009.

Marva was born October 12, 1926, in Rexburg, Idaho, the third child of Thomas Atwell Atkinson and Millie Lake Atkinson. When she was very young, she moved with her parents to El Segundo, California. They moved back to Lyman, Idaho, in 1936, when her father inherited the family farm and saved it from going bankrupt. She attended grade school in Lyman and graduated from Madison High School in Rexburg in 1944.

World War II was on, and she lived on a farm out in the country. Without a car to drive, she was unable to find work. Her grandparents had just purchased a home in El Segundo, California, and they asked her if she would go with them and help them move. California was a different place. Her Aunt Vera asked her if she would go to work with her at the Douglas aircraft plant in Inglewood. She worked there as a riveter on the midnight shift for a few months before going to work in the lab at the Standard Oil Plant in El Segundo.

She was working there when she received word that her boyfriend, Arnold Briggs, had been shot three times and was seriously wounded and had been stationed in an Army Hospital in Walla Walla, Washington. He was in hospitals for 10 months before being discharged. He was discharged October 9, 1945, and soon after moved to California to be with Marva. They were married in Los Angeles, California, on November 8, 1945. They moved back to Idaho in May 1946, and in 1949, bought a small home on five acres of ground in Rigby.

They lived there raising their family. They had two boys and two girls. She always said the best decision she ever made was to marry Arnold. He gave her four beautiful children, Connie (Jeff) Swegle of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Bradley A. Briggs (deceased), and Tami Sue (Larry) Taylor and Lance Cory (Susan) Briggs, both of Rigby; 14 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

But into each life some rain must fall. The tragic death of their granddaughter, Chelsea Anne Taylor, the daughter of Tami and Larry Taylor, in an automobile accident, and then the sudden death of their son, Bradley, who had just turned 50. He left behind a wife, Deanne, and five sons.

Marva started taking night classes while her husband was working shift work at the Site. She continued her studies, and eventually graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1968. She was employed as an Elementary School teacher at Midway, where she was awarded several outstanding honors including Teacher of the Year for 1975-76, the Distinguished Service Award and Certificate of Recognition; and she was one of six most outstanding employees in Jefferson School District who were honored and received awards for meritorious or distinguished service in 1983; and in 1988, she received a special Certificate of Recognition Award from the State of Idaho signed by then-governor Cecil Andrus and Secretary of State Pette Cenaruso.

She was always proud to be an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Early in her married life, she and her husband, Arnold, were called to serve as Dance Directors in the MIA, a position they held for about three years. She held positions in the Primary, Relief Society and was the Junior Sunday School coordinator for many years. Her favorite assignment was teaching the Compassionate Service Lessons in Relief Society.

She and Arnold served a one year mission for the church at the Deseret Industries in Idaho Falls and Ucon. They also served a two year mission at the Family History Center in the Rigby 2nd Ward and the 27th Winter Branch in St. George, Utah.

After she retired, they both enjoyed traveling in their motor home with their friends. They traveled through Canada and the western United States. They spent their winters in Bullhead City and Yuma, Arizona. They took a cruise to the Bahamas and Hawaii with Lorin and Kay Briggs. They eventually settled on spending their winters in St. George, Utah.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, December 15, 2009, in the Rigby LDS East Stake Center, 4021 E. 300 North. The family will visit with friends from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday at Eckersell Memorial Chapel and from 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Tuesday at the stake center. Burial will be in Sutton Cemetery in Archer, Idaho. Condolences may be sent to the family online at www.eckersellfuneralhome.com.

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