ELKVILLE -- Virgil Otto Briley, 79, died Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2013, in Good Samaritan Regional Health Center in Mount Vernon.
Mr. Briley was born Feb. 7, 1934, in Benton, the son of Virgil Green Briley and Lois Mae (Thomason) Briley.
He attended Benton High School, where he was known as Otto Briley, a standout in high school football for the Rangers in the early 1950s. He would attend Memphis State on a football scholarship, but soon moved back home and married the former Shirley Elaine Craig on May 1, 1954, and together they celebrated 59 years of marriage.
Mr. Briley worked as a brick mason and a farmer, but would last work and retire from a career in coal mining. He was a member of UMWA and was a member of Elkville First Baptist Church. He accepted Christ as his Savior at the age of 26 while residing in Granite City.
Otto loved to play golf, hunt arrowheads, go dancing and feed and watch the many different bird species around his property and home.
He was given a second chance in life as he was a 10-year survivor of cancer until his recent diagnosis.
But most of all, he loved his family very much.
Survivors include his wife, Shirley Elaine Briley ; son, Craig Briley and wife, Julie; daughter, Cindy Whitley and husband, Jim; four grandchildren, Ara Briley and wife, Jessie, Ali Briley Ruiz and husband, Alex,, Travis Whitley and wife, Ashley, and Taylor Whitley ; stepgrandchildren, Kellie Sundeen, Richard Harris, Jim Whitley Jr., Darren Whitley, Megan Liwanag and Jessica Martin; great-grandchildren, Alea, Alissa, Alejandro Ruiz, Emma Briley and Tessa Whitley; stepgreat-grandchildren, Ethan Martin, Clint, Kyle and Seth Sundeen, Maxwell Harris, Madison Whitley, Ryan and Branden Whitley; stepgreat-great-grandchildren, Madilyn and Axel Sundeen; two sisters, Sue Lacy of Hurst and Joan Johnson and husband, Lloyd, of Lincoln; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Mr. Briley was born Feb. 7, 1934, in Benton, the son of Virgil Green Briley and Lois Mae (Thomason) Briley.
He attended Benton High School, where he was known as Otto Briley, a standout in high school football for the Rangers in the early 1950s. He would attend Memphis State on a football scholarship, but soon moved back home and married the former Shirley Elaine Craig on May 1, 1954, and together they celebrated 59 years of marriage.
Mr. Briley worked as a brick mason and a farmer, but would last work and retire from a career in coal mining. He was a member of UMWA and was a member of Elkville First Baptist Church. He accepted Christ as his Savior at the age of 26 while residing in Granite City.
Otto loved to play golf, hunt arrowheads, go dancing and feed and watch the many different bird species around his property and home.
He was given a second chance in life as he was a 10-year survivor of cancer until his recent diagnosis.
But most of all, he loved his family very much.
Survivors include his wife, Shirley Elaine Briley ; son, Craig Briley and wife, Julie; daughter, Cindy Whitley and husband, Jim; four grandchildren, Ara Briley and wife, Jessie, Ali Briley Ruiz and husband, Alex,, Travis Whitley and wife, Ashley, and Taylor Whitley ; stepgrandchildren, Kellie Sundeen, Richard Harris, Jim Whitley Jr., Darren Whitley, Megan Liwanag and Jessica Martin; great-grandchildren, Alea, Alissa, Alejandro Ruiz, Emma Briley and Tessa Whitley; stepgreat-grandchildren, Ethan Martin, Clint, Kyle and Seth Sundeen, Maxwell Harris, Madison Whitley, Ryan and Branden Whitley; stepgreat-great-grandchildren, Madilyn and Axel Sundeen; two sisters, Sue Lacy of Hurst and Joan Johnson and husband, Lloyd, of Lincoln; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
ELKVILLE -- Virgil Otto Briley, 79, died Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2013, in Good Samaritan Regional Health Center in Mount Vernon.
Mr. Briley was born Feb. 7, 1934, in Benton, the son of Virgil Green Briley and Lois Mae (Thomason) Briley.
He attended Benton High School, where he was known as Otto Briley, a standout in high school football for the Rangers in the early 1950s. He would attend Memphis State on a football scholarship, but soon moved back home and married the former Shirley Elaine Craig on May 1, 1954, and together they celebrated 59 years of marriage.
Mr. Briley worked as a brick mason and a farmer, but would last work and retire from a career in coal mining. He was a member of UMWA and was a member of Elkville First Baptist Church. He accepted Christ as his Savior at the age of 26 while residing in Granite City.
Otto loved to play golf, hunt arrowheads, go dancing and feed and watch the many different bird species around his property and home.
He was given a second chance in life as he was a 10-year survivor of cancer until his recent diagnosis.
But most of all, he loved his family very much.
Survivors include his wife, Shirley Elaine Briley ; son, Craig Briley and wife, Julie; daughter, Cindy Whitley and husband, Jim; four grandchildren, Ara Briley and wife, Jessie, Ali Briley Ruiz and husband, Alex,, Travis Whitley and wife, Ashley, and Taylor Whitley ; stepgrandchildren, Kellie Sundeen, Richard Harris, Jim Whitley Jr., Darren Whitley, Megan Liwanag and Jessica Martin; great-grandchildren, Alea, Alissa, Alejandro Ruiz, Emma Briley and Tessa Whitley; stepgreat-grandchildren, Ethan Martin, Clint, Kyle and Seth Sundeen, Maxwell Harris, Madison Whitley, Ryan and Branden Whitley; stepgreat-great-grandchildren, Madilyn and Axel Sundeen; two sisters, Sue Lacy of Hurst and Joan Johnson and husband, Lloyd, of Lincoln; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Mr. Briley was born Feb. 7, 1934, in Benton, the son of Virgil Green Briley and Lois Mae (Thomason) Briley.
He attended Benton High School, where he was known as Otto Briley, a standout in high school football for the Rangers in the early 1950s. He would attend Memphis State on a football scholarship, but soon moved back home and married the former Shirley Elaine Craig on May 1, 1954, and together they celebrated 59 years of marriage.
Mr. Briley worked as a brick mason and a farmer, but would last work and retire from a career in coal mining. He was a member of UMWA and was a member of Elkville First Baptist Church. He accepted Christ as his Savior at the age of 26 while residing in Granite City.
Otto loved to play golf, hunt arrowheads, go dancing and feed and watch the many different bird species around his property and home.
He was given a second chance in life as he was a 10-year survivor of cancer until his recent diagnosis.
But most of all, he loved his family very much.
Survivors include his wife, Shirley Elaine Briley ; son, Craig Briley and wife, Julie; daughter, Cindy Whitley and husband, Jim; four grandchildren, Ara Briley and wife, Jessie, Ali Briley Ruiz and husband, Alex,, Travis Whitley and wife, Ashley, and Taylor Whitley ; stepgrandchildren, Kellie Sundeen, Richard Harris, Jim Whitley Jr., Darren Whitley, Megan Liwanag and Jessica Martin; great-grandchildren, Alea, Alissa, Alejandro Ruiz, Emma Briley and Tessa Whitley; stepgreat-grandchildren, Ethan Martin, Clint, Kyle and Seth Sundeen, Maxwell Harris, Madison Whitley, Ryan and Branden Whitley; stepgreat-great-grandchildren, Madilyn and Axel Sundeen; two sisters, Sue Lacy of Hurst and Joan Johnson and husband, Lloyd, of Lincoln; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
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