Dr. John Glenn Briggs, Jr.

 Dr. John Glenn Briggs, Jr.  was born on June 8, 1942 in Hendersonville, NC, and died Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017 in Chapel Hill, NC.

To the utter jealously of many avid Tar Heels, John passed away amongst dear friends in the Dean Dome at a UNC basketball game.

He was born and raised in Hendersonville, NC, and he graduated from Hendersonville High School. He received his Bachelor of Science from Carson Newman University , from whence he sought his masters in chemistry at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. It was there he first thought of applying to medical school upon the prompting of his old Carson Newman professor.

As we all know from his love of all things Carolina Blue, he graduated from UNC Medical School. He did his residencies and internships at First Baptist Hospital in Memphis Tennessee, where he first realized his love for facial and hand reconstructive surgery. It was there he had the honor of sewing up Elvis Pressley.  He then went to Houston, TX, to learn with the progenitors of that new medical specialty called plastic surgery.

He came to Fayetteville, NC, in 1976 to raise his family and practice medicine. He and his beloved wife, Judith Ann Shields Briggs, raised their three children and lived life to the fullest extent possible with their family and many friends.  Many of you remember the diving and hunting trips, star gazing with that huge telescope of his,  the snow storm escapades of the early 1980's, sitting on the deck of his mountain house (which he called his "Blue Heaven"), and all those quiet and good times with him where he imparted great wisdom.  As many of you can attest from your stitches and minimal scarring, he loved helping people. He shared his medical skills with anyone who needed him. He was a consummate professional and he strove for perfection with every cut, nip and tuck. His dedication to high standards led him to lead the Cape Fear Valley Hospital system as its Chief of Staff for many years.  From the fancy city hospital, to the back country hospitals of Bolivia, he helped heal people and recover their lives.

 Around the time of Judy's last illness in 2006, he retired from his medical career. His new adventure in life began!

In 2007 he met a beautiful young lady named Carol Stevens Briggs, and they fell head over heels for each other. For the next nine years they were the apple of each other's eyes. They loved and lived their new life together with exuberance and gusto. They  travelled the world in a whirlwind of adventure. In between travelling, he stayed busy in his community by serving on many boards and his Church.

John was preceded in death by his parents, John Glenn Briggs Sr. and Lula Mae Briggs, his wife of more than thirty years, Judith Ann Shields Briggs, and his father in law, Vincent H. Shields.

John is survived by his wife, Carol Stevens Briggs, his children, John Glenn Briggs III and wife, Amanda Farrell Briggs of Fayetteville, NC; Vincent Shields Briggs and wife, Dana Leigh Briggs of Wilmington, NC; and Amanda Jean Briggs of Brooklyn, NY. Survived by grandchildren Vincent Shields Briggs, Hailey Grace Anna Briggs, Scarlett Judith Farrell Briggs and Zelda Jean Bynum Briggs.  He is also survived by his mother in law, Jean Hollingsworth Shields Warren of Fayetteville, NC, his beloved brothers, Steve Briggs and wife, Sandy Briggs of Hendersonville, NC, and Frank Briggs and wife, Leora Briggs of Oklahoma City, OK. He had special affection for Carol's children and grandchildren:  Alan and wife Priscilla and their children, Preston and Ella Jones; and Steven and wife Terry and their children, Coner, Holden and Evan Jones; all of Raleigh, NC.

Help us celebrate his life on December 27, 2017 at Haymount Methodist Church on Fort Bragg Rd, Fayetteville, NC. Visitation is from 10 to 12 am. Service is at noon. Arrangements handled by Sullivan's Highland Funeral Service and Crematory, Inc.