Jean Sommers Briggs

Jean Sommers Briggs, 99, of Fredericksburg and formerly of Gambier, died peacefully at home on Thursday, August 6, 2020 after a period of declining health.

Jean was born February 13, 1921 in Urbana, OH to the late John and Nelle (Duncan) Sommers and graduated from Concord High School in 1939 and later from Ohio State University in 1943 where she majored in Home Economics.  During WW II she worked as a 4-H Extension Agent in Fairfield County having been one of the first women to hold that position and at the Battelle Institute in Columbus.  On Nov. 10, 1945 she married Gordon Briggs and he preceded her in death on Oct. 23, 1998.  Jean was always a farm girl having been raised on a farm and then marrying a farmer.  She was a hardworking, no nonsense farm wife and mother of 5 on the family farm near Gambier, OH.  Jean was a strong supporter of Farmland Preservation.  She used her Home Economics degree throughout her life having started a 4-H sewing club so her daughters could learn to sew and later, when her children were grown, she turned to quilting.  Jean was a dedicated servant having been active in church and community.  She was a member of Wooster United Methodist Church and the Trail Seekers Sunday School Class and a former member of Faith Lutheran Church in Mount Vernon.  She was also a Fredericksburg Library Volunteer after moving from Gambier to Fredericksburg in 2009.  A commonly heard quote in recent years was, “everyone should be able to do something.”  Jean will be remember for all the quilts she stitched by hand and gave away, all the cards she sent, her passion for politics, for being a great cook and a lifelong learner, for her faith in God that sustained her throughout her life and for her love of family, friends, flowers and birds.

Surviving are her children, Greg Briggs of Aspers, PA, Ann (Bob) Buermann of South Hero, VT, Doug Briggs of Roachdale, IN and Jane (Dave) Braddock of Fredericksburg, OH; daughter-in-law, Rose McEwen of Perry, NY; grandchildren, Caroline (Phil) Bange, Andrew Braddock, Laura Buermann, Molly Buermann and Lilia Briggs-McEwen; great-grandchildren, Kira, Jackson, Jonah, Nora and Ellie Bange and a her brother, Don (Amy) Sommers. 

Jean was preceded in death by her husband, Gordon, her parents, John and Nelle; son Eric Briggs; daughter-in-law, Patricia Whittaker; brothers, John and infant Hugh Sommers and a sister, Sara Dean.

A family graveside service will be held at Quarry Chapel Cemetery in Gambier with Rev. Bill Sowers officiating.  There will be a celebration of Jean’s life at a later date.  Tributes may be shared at www.Murray-Funeral-Home.com  Memorial contributions may be made to Fredericksburg Library, 108 S. Mill St., Fredericksburg, OH 44627, Friends of the Quarry Chapel, PO Box 849, Gambier, OH 43022 or Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare, 1900 Akron Rd., Wooster, OH 44691.

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