Megan LeRae Briggs 1994 - 2017
ALBANY - Megan LeRae Briggs, 23, our beautiful daughter, our Peanut, passed away unexpectedly from a heroin overdose on Monday, December 18, 2017, at her home in Albany.
Megan was born in Utica on March 12, 1994; she is the daughter of Duane R. Briggs and Kristie L. (Schoonmaker) Cieslak. She was raised locally, was a graduate of Westmoreland High School and attended a joint nursing program with SUNY IT and St. Elizabeth School of Nursing. She was currently employed with Rayben Enterprises in Albany. Megan enjoyed fishing with her fishing buddy, her dad, cooking, baking and Dr. Pepper. Her favorite past time was reading. No matter where she was, she always sought out her local library; this was her safe place. Megan's smile was like the sun and her laugh was like music, so infectious.
Megan is survived by her mother and stepfather, Kristie and Walter Cieslak, of Whitesboro; her father, Duane Briggs, of Whitesboro; two sisters, Madison Cieslak, of Whitesboro, and Kaitlyn Briggs, of Utica; stepbrother, Alex Houck, of Georgia; maternal grandparents, Wayne and Monica Storms, of Verona; paternal grandfather, Richard Briggs, of Forestport; paternal grandparents, Rita and Ken VanDresar, of Holland Patent; aunts and uncles, Justin and Zainab Storms, of Syracuse, April Storms, of Rome, Sally and Josh Russitano, of Rome, Sara Briggs, of Holland Patent, Sgt. George and Tori VanDresar, of Ft. Drum, Joe VanDresar of Holland Patent, Jason and Marsha Schoonmaker, of Jersey Shore, PA, Rich and Renee Schoonmaker, of Munchy, PA, and a special uncle and aunt, Robert and June Cooney, of Marcy; cousins, Phallon, Elliott, Eli, Abbi, Levi, Maximus, Mia, Izzy, Noah, Michael, Emma, Kylie and James.
Calling hours for family and friends are Wednesday, December 27, 2017, from 4:00-8:00 p.m. at the Heintz Funeral Home, 408 Herkimer Rd., N. Utica, followed by a prayer and a time to share your beloved memories of Megan.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Mid York Library System, 1600 Lincoln Ave., Utica, NY 13502 in Megan's memory.
Megan's family extends a special thank you to all of her friends who walked beside her in this journey.
Online guestbook and messages of sympathy at www.heintzfuneralservice.net.