Briggs, Tom Peery, the younger son of Houston and Marguerite "Margie" Peery Briggs, passed peacefully in his sleep at home Sunday evening at the age of 70.
Life:
Born in Meridian, Mississippi on October 20, 1943, Tom grew up in Dallas, attending Bradfield Elementary and Highland Park High School, where he was a member of the Highlander band and the Lads and Lassies choral group.
Choosing to stay in Dallas, Tom attended SMU where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi, earning a degree in Marketing and Management in 1965, before moving on to the University of Texas in Austin where he received his law degree in 1968.
After graduation and a brief sojourn in Detroit, where he juggled dual roles as a Ford assembly- line supervisor and a ladies' shoes salesman at Hudson's department store, Tom moved to Wichita Falls, Texas where he joined the law practice of his Uncle Kearby Peery.
Kearby was one of the great shapers of Tom's destiny, not least of which was introducing him to the art of blackjack. Tom never met a blackjack dealer he didn't like. In fact, there were few people of any persuasion Tom didn't like. He had a lifelong love and gift for making others happy. He spent the summers of his youth at Camp Grady Spruce, where he met many of the friends whose lives would forever be linked together by those idyllic times. He later returned as a counselor, then served as a director, and eventually owned a small Possum Kingdom lakefront property that served as an easy escape from life in Dallas. As his career as a trial lawyer progressed, Tom joined two of his close friends, Jim Brown and Mike Berkley, in a new Dallas firm, Briggs, Brown, and Berkley, that would become his sustaining career focus. He loved the law practice and his clients loved him, as did all those who had the opportunity to work with him and for him. His generosity was legendary: so many, many times did he gladly help his friends and friends of friends in need that he was often referred to as the EZ access branch of Briggs Bank and Trust. Tom had so many friends, generations of friends and families who were always there for him and for whom he played such an important role. He was loved greatly by all, most of all by his life partner, Mike, who had the privilege of sharing thirty-five years of his time on earth. He left us prematurely, briefly catching a glimpse into that "home for the bewildered" that he had talked of sharing with those he loved - his cousin Pat Wood and her husband Bubba; his dear friends Mary Hodge and Susan Boucher; his extended family of guys and gals. The end came swiftly, made so much more bearable by the loving assistance of the care-givers from Acappella and the Grace Hospice group. He will be so missed.
Family:
Tom leaves his life partner, Mike Wilkins;
a brother, Houston W. Briggs II;
sister-in-law, Irina Briggs, of Kissimmee, Florida;
several cousins; and innumerable friends.
Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home, 7405 W. Northwest Hwy., Dallas, TX
Cathedral of Hope, 5910 Cedar Springs Road, Dallas, TX 75235.
Donations: may be made to Camp Grady Spruce, c/o Barbara Reynolds, 601 N. Akard, Dallas, TX 75201.
Published in Dallas Morning News from Dec. 11 to Dec. 12, 2013
Life:
Born in Meridian, Mississippi on October 20, 1943, Tom grew up in Dallas, attending Bradfield Elementary and Highland Park High School, where he was a member of the Highlander band and the Lads and Lassies choral group.
Choosing to stay in Dallas, Tom attended SMU where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi, earning a degree in Marketing and Management in 1965, before moving on to the University of Texas in Austin where he received his law degree in 1968.
After graduation and a brief sojourn in Detroit, where he juggled dual roles as a Ford assembly- line supervisor and a ladies' shoes salesman at Hudson's department store, Tom moved to Wichita Falls, Texas where he joined the law practice of his Uncle Kearby Peery.
Kearby was one of the great shapers of Tom's destiny, not least of which was introducing him to the art of blackjack. Tom never met a blackjack dealer he didn't like. In fact, there were few people of any persuasion Tom didn't like. He had a lifelong love and gift for making others happy. He spent the summers of his youth at Camp Grady Spruce, where he met many of the friends whose lives would forever be linked together by those idyllic times. He later returned as a counselor, then served as a director, and eventually owned a small Possum Kingdom lakefront property that served as an easy escape from life in Dallas. As his career as a trial lawyer progressed, Tom joined two of his close friends, Jim Brown and Mike Berkley, in a new Dallas firm, Briggs, Brown, and Berkley, that would become his sustaining career focus. He loved the law practice and his clients loved him, as did all those who had the opportunity to work with him and for him. His generosity was legendary: so many, many times did he gladly help his friends and friends of friends in need that he was often referred to as the EZ access branch of Briggs Bank and Trust. Tom had so many friends, generations of friends and families who were always there for him and for whom he played such an important role. He was loved greatly by all, most of all by his life partner, Mike, who had the privilege of sharing thirty-five years of his time on earth. He left us prematurely, briefly catching a glimpse into that "home for the bewildered" that he had talked of sharing with those he loved - his cousin Pat Wood and her husband Bubba; his dear friends Mary Hodge and Susan Boucher; his extended family of guys and gals. The end came swiftly, made so much more bearable by the loving assistance of the care-givers from Acappella and the Grace Hospice group. He will be so missed.
Family:
Tom leaves his life partner, Mike Wilkins;
a brother, Houston W. Briggs II;
sister-in-law, Irina Briggs, of Kissimmee, Florida;
several cousins; and innumerable friends.
Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home, 7405 W. Northwest Hwy., Dallas, TX
Cathedral of Hope, 5910 Cedar Springs Road, Dallas, TX 75235.
Donations: may be made to Camp Grady Spruce, c/o Barbara Reynolds, 601 N. Akard, Dallas, TX 75201.
Published in Dallas Morning News from Dec. 11 to Dec. 12, 2013
Briggs, Tom Peery, the younger son of Houston and Marguerite "Margie" Peery Briggs, passed peacefully in his sleep at home Sunday evening at the age of 70.
Life:
Born in Meridian, Mississippi on October 20, 1943, Tom grew up in Dallas, attending Bradfield Elementary and Highland Park High School, where he was a member of the Highlander band and the Lads and Lassies choral group.
Choosing to stay in Dallas, Tom attended SMU where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi, earning a degree in Marketing and Management in 1965, before moving on to the University of Texas in Austin where he received his law degree in 1968.
After graduation and a brief sojourn in Detroit, where he juggled dual roles as a Ford assembly- line supervisor and a ladies' shoes salesman at Hudson's department store, Tom moved to Wichita Falls, Texas where he joined the law practice of his Uncle Kearby Peery.
Kearby was one of the great shapers of Tom's destiny, not least of which was introducing him to the art of blackjack. Tom never met a blackjack dealer he didn't like. In fact, there were few people of any persuasion Tom didn't like. He had a lifelong love and gift for making others happy. He spent the summers of his youth at Camp Grady Spruce, where he met many of the friends whose lives would forever be linked together by those idyllic times. He later returned as a counselor, then served as a director, and eventually owned a small Possum Kingdom lakefront property that served as an easy escape from life in Dallas. As his career as a trial lawyer progressed, Tom joined two of his close friends, Jim Brown and Mike Berkley, in a new Dallas firm, Briggs, Brown, and Berkley, that would become his sustaining career focus. He loved the law practice and his clients loved him, as did all those who had the opportunity to work with him and for him. His generosity was legendary: so many, many times did he gladly help his friends and friends of friends in need that he was often referred to as the EZ access branch of Briggs Bank and Trust. Tom had so many friends, generations of friends and families who were always there for him and for whom he played such an important role. He was loved greatly by all, most of all by his life partner, Mike, who had the privilege of sharing thirty-five years of his time on earth. He left us prematurely, briefly catching a glimpse into that "home for the bewildered" that he had talked of sharing with those he loved - his cousin Pat Wood and her husband Bubba; his dear friends Mary Hodge and Susan Boucher; his extended family of guys and gals. The end came swiftly, made so much more bearable by the loving assistance of the care-givers from Acappella and the Grace Hospice group. He will be so missed.
Family:
Tom leaves his life partner, Mike Wilkins;
a brother, Houston W. Briggs II;
sister-in-law, Irina Briggs, of Kissimmee, Florida;
several cousins; and innumerable friends.
Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home, 7405 W. Northwest Hwy., Dallas, TX
Cathedral of Hope, 5910 Cedar Springs Road, Dallas, TX 75235.
Donations: may be made to Camp Grady Spruce, c/o Barbara Reynolds, 601 N. Akard, Dallas, TX 75201.
Published in Dallas Morning News from Dec. 11 to Dec. 12, 2013
Life:
Born in Meridian, Mississippi on October 20, 1943, Tom grew up in Dallas, attending Bradfield Elementary and Highland Park High School, where he was a member of the Highlander band and the Lads and Lassies choral group.
Choosing to stay in Dallas, Tom attended SMU where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi, earning a degree in Marketing and Management in 1965, before moving on to the University of Texas in Austin where he received his law degree in 1968.
After graduation and a brief sojourn in Detroit, where he juggled dual roles as a Ford assembly- line supervisor and a ladies' shoes salesman at Hudson's department store, Tom moved to Wichita Falls, Texas where he joined the law practice of his Uncle Kearby Peery.
Kearby was one of the great shapers of Tom's destiny, not least of which was introducing him to the art of blackjack. Tom never met a blackjack dealer he didn't like. In fact, there were few people of any persuasion Tom didn't like. He had a lifelong love and gift for making others happy. He spent the summers of his youth at Camp Grady Spruce, where he met many of the friends whose lives would forever be linked together by those idyllic times. He later returned as a counselor, then served as a director, and eventually owned a small Possum Kingdom lakefront property that served as an easy escape from life in Dallas. As his career as a trial lawyer progressed, Tom joined two of his close friends, Jim Brown and Mike Berkley, in a new Dallas firm, Briggs, Brown, and Berkley, that would become his sustaining career focus. He loved the law practice and his clients loved him, as did all those who had the opportunity to work with him and for him. His generosity was legendary: so many, many times did he gladly help his friends and friends of friends in need that he was often referred to as the EZ access branch of Briggs Bank and Trust. Tom had so many friends, generations of friends and families who were always there for him and for whom he played such an important role. He was loved greatly by all, most of all by his life partner, Mike, who had the privilege of sharing thirty-five years of his time on earth. He left us prematurely, briefly catching a glimpse into that "home for the bewildered" that he had talked of sharing with those he loved - his cousin Pat Wood and her husband Bubba; his dear friends Mary Hodge and Susan Boucher; his extended family of guys and gals. The end came swiftly, made so much more bearable by the loving assistance of the care-givers from Acappella and the Grace Hospice group. He will be so missed.
Family:
Tom leaves his life partner, Mike Wilkins;
a brother, Houston W. Briggs II;
sister-in-law, Irina Briggs, of Kissimmee, Florida;
several cousins; and innumerable friends.
Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home, 7405 W. Northwest Hwy., Dallas, TX
Cathedral of Hope, 5910 Cedar Springs Road, Dallas, TX 75235.
Donations: may be made to Camp Grady Spruce, c/o Barbara Reynolds, 601 N. Akard, Dallas, TX 75201.
Published in Dallas Morning News from Dec. 11 to Dec. 12, 2013
Bio by: GrannyT
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