Alice "Lianne" Briskey

ALICE "LIANNE" BRISKEY Coralville Alice "Lianne" Briskey, 69, passed away Friday, Oct. 11, 2019, at Mercy Hospital surrounded by loved ones. Funeral services will be held 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, at Lensing's Oak Hill Funeral Service, 210 Holiday Rd., Coralville with the Rev. Mitchell Otto officiating. Visitation will be Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the funeral home. Family Committal services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 18, at Floral Hill Cemetery in Hazelton, Iowa. Memorials may be directed to the Alice Lianne Briskey Memorial Fund. Lianne was born Aug. 9, 1950, in Oelwein, Iowa, the daughter of Wayne and Virginia (Beckner) Hughson. Raised on a working family farm, Lianne developed a strong work ethic. She graduated from West Central, (Maynard, Iowa) Class of 1968. The summer following graduation, Lianne moved to Iowa City, Iowa, where she would attend Total Look School of Cosmetology. She studied hard and worked as many hours as she could to make ends meet. Being new to the Iowa City area, Lianne's roommate thought it would nice to introduce Lianne to a single fellow that was a buddy of the roommate's boyfriend. It was the summer of 1968 that Lianne was introduced to Jerry Briskey on a blind date. Following a courtship and engagement, Jerry and Lianne were married on Sept. 5, 1970, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hawkeye, Iowa. In 1976, they were blessed with a birth of their first daughter, Alicia. In 1979, they were blessed a second time with the birth of their daughter, Lindsey. Lianne passed her state board exams and graduated from Total Look school of Cosmetology in 1969. She began a decade long career as a cosmetologist at Siefert's Salon, where she quickly became a manager until 1973. She then worked at Rich's & Don's from 1973 to 1976, and lastly at headliners from 1976 to 1979. Lianne left Headliners in 1979 to stay at home with her two young daughters. She continued to provide haircuts, perms and styling out of her home. From 1980 to 1981, Lianne taught adult education classes at Northwest Junior High School through the Iowa City adult education program, specializing in adult hair care. Next, Lianne started her own craft business, "Alice through the looking glass" (1981 to 1986) specializing in floral hats and music boxes. Lianne enjoyed applying her creativity and traveling alongside her fellow artisan, Virginia Hughson, to various different craft shows across the state. In 1986, at the age of 36, Lianne left the world of crafting behind to work as office manager at Briskey Cabinet Co. She worked side by side with husband, Jerry, until the closing of the family business in 2015. For more than 29 years, Lianne enjoy working with different professionals, local trades people, reps, distributors, contractors, interior designers and of course the public. Lianne enjoyed forming relationships with her clients and took great pride in helping her clients select the perfect product for their needs. Lianne was a longtime member of Fairview Golf Course and participated in a women's bowling league at Plamor Lanes. She enjoyed reading, playing darts, cards and taking mini-vacations to Chicago, Washington, D.C., Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks, Leech Lake and Las Vegas. Sketching, bird watching, listening to gentle jazz, admiring flowers of all kinds, watching "Antiques Roadshow" and visiting with friends were many of her favorite pastimes. But most of all, she enjoyed spending time with her family, grandkids and her beloved dog, Missy. Lianne was a hardworking, creative, devoted, generous and kind mother, wife, daughter and grandmother and friend. Lianne is survived by her two daughters and four grandchildren, Alicia (Brett) Murray of Portland, Ore., and their children, Sophie and Chase; Lindsey (Anthony) Bergmann of Coralville and their children, Lily and Luke; two siblings, Daniel (Marcia) Hughson of Sumner, Iowa, and Nicola England of Mesquite, Texas; and nieces, nephews and extended family. She was preceded in death by her parents, Wayne and Virginia Hughson; and her husband, Jerry Briskey. Online condolences may be sent to www.lensingfuneral.com.