James R. Briley

Our loving thoughts and fond memories are with Lt. Colonel James R. "Jim" Briley, USAF, (Ret.), who passed away Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010. He was born August 31, 1928, in Bethel, the son of Charles Heber and Vivian Mae Nelson Briley.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 43 years, Faynelle L. "Teddy" Briley (1995); both parents; three sisters, Mildred B. Davidson, Edith B. Cox, Beth B. Tatum, and a brother, Charles Howard Briley.
Surviving are his son, James R. Briley Jr. and wife, Lisette, of, Stuarts Draft, Va; and a beloved brother, Linwood Briley (age 95) and wife, Elizabeth, of Bethel. Also surviving is his beloved companion of the last 14 years, Dorothy E. Littrell, Ogden, Utah.
Jim was a true patriot. He served a 20 year career in the United States Air Force, retiring in 1975 as a Lieutenant Colonel after a lustrous career. He graduated from USAF Pilot Training in 1955 and served his country during both the Korean and Vietnamese conflicts, including combat duty in Vietnam in 1968-69. He amassed over 6000 hours of flying time. Included in his multi-faceted career was a tour of duty with the U.S. State Department serving as Air Attache and assigned to the U.S. Embassy, New Delhi, India.
Jim received a B.S. degree from East Carolina University, Greenville, and a graduate degree (MSPH) in Health Education from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He did post-graduate studies at the University of Mississippi, Oxford, Miss. Jim witnessed a lot of history in the making and was called out of class at "Ole Miss" to witness the confrontation between Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett and the U.S. military the day the University of Mississippi became an integrated college.
After retirement from the USAF, Jim owned and ran several companies in Ogden. He was a past president of the Exchange Club of Ogden and a member of the Ogden Golf and Country Club. In his last golf tournament he and Dick Hawkins won the President's Cup in golf at the Club that year. Jim did so love golf and so appreciated the comradeship of his playing partners.
Jim loved all sports and was an avid Jazz fan. But his great love was music and dancing with an insatiable affinity for Blues and Jazz at the Sun Valley Jazz Festival every fall.
In 1996 Jim established the James R. Briley Scholarship at the UNC School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. There are now 14 Briley Scholars with graduate degrees (MSPH) from UNC because of the Briley Scholarship program.
Jim will long be remembered for his dry wit and curiosity as well as his generosity.
Cremation will be by Leavitt's Chapel of Flowers Mortuary, with Inurnment at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va. with full military honors. Several of the Briley Scholars from UNC plan to attend the service which is scheduled for the first week in April when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom in our nation's capitol.
Local services are planned for Friday, Dec. 10, 2010 at 2 p.m. at Leavitt's Chapel of Flowers for a last tribute to Jim and to honor his life.