FRANKLIN
James Milton Briddle, 84, of Franklin, passed away Saturday, April 11, 2015.
He was born in August 1930 in Edinburgh to Clarence Briddle and Anna Hedger. He was part of the 1950 graduating class of Edinburgh High School.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at noon Thursday at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, 114 Lancelot Drive, Franklin. Visitation with the family will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at the church. Please then join the family for lunch after the service in the church fellowship hall.
His interment will occur this summer in Morrill, Nebraska.
In lieu, of flowers the family requests memorial gifts be made to any organization that serves our veterans.
He was an avid Colts and Indiana University fan and played baseball and basketball. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1950-1954 (corporal) and was a Korean War veteran. He was an active member of the Knights of Columbus, American Legion and VFW.
He stayed in California after he served in the military until 1984, when he and his family moved to Morrill, Nebraska, where he stayed until returning to Franklin in 2000.
One of his greatest joys and gifts was making wooden toys for children. He would work all year on creating toys that he then donated to firefighters in December to give to children in need for Christmas. His toys were also shipped to friends and family and later his caregivers all over the country. He had a gift with children, and he never met one he could not make smile or laugh. His sense of humor was significant, and his one-liners will give us laughs for years to come.
Upon his death, he wanted us to erect a sign to place in the yard of his brother Art Briddle that said: “Here lives a man that was fortunate enough to be the brother of James Briddle.” So consider this one of his wishes now complete.
This is a man who will be greatly missed. He was a very good man who demonstrated his faith in the way he lived. He was an active member of St. Rose of Lima Church in Franklin and St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Morrill, Nebraska. He fought an incredible battle with pancreatic cancer for two years. He was tremendously grateful for the wonderful care from the staff at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center.
Those that will miss him greatly are his wife, Patti (Shepherd) Briddle; sons, Jeffrey M. Briddle and Debra of Roseburg, Oregon, Joseph M. Briddle and Dayna of Torrington, Wyoming, and John Underwood and Julie of Panama City, Florida; daughters, Beverly Underwood of Lilburn, Georgia, and Nancy Webster of Covington, Georgia; brother, Art Briddle and Barbara of Edinburgh; sister, Lucy of Edinburgh; 10 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; four great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Anna Hedger; his father, Clarence Briddle; first wife, Janet Mae Christenson-Briddle; sons, James Michael Briddle and Scott Underwood; sisters, Mary Critney and Betty Hubble; brothers, Leonard (Chinky) Mart, Donald Hermal (Bo) and Joe Briddle; and lifetime friend/brother, Lester Speedy Gonzales.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Simplicity Funeral and Cremation Care, 951 N. Main St., Franklin, IN 46131.
