Nellie Rose Briggs
Nellie Rose Briggs (nee: Greene), 87, of Jesup, Ga., and formerly of Cape Coral and Bridgeton, N.J, died Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009, at her home after an extended illness where she had been under the care of hospice for the last week. She was born Nov. 12, 1921, in Ottawa, W.Va., to William E. and Millie (nee: Chandler) Greene, now deceased.
She was a graduate of Scott High School in Madison, W.Va., and exactly one day after World War II began, she and her oldest sister, Vallie, moved to Bridgeton, N.J., after being recruited to work at the Owens-Illinois Glass Company.
For the next 53 years, she worked at Owens, the PJ Ritter Company and Prudential Insurance, delivered the Philadelphia Bulletin newspaper, and finally was employed at the Cumberland County Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center before retiring.
In 1995, she and her husband of more than 50 years, William F. “Dickie” Briggs, moved to Cape Coral. She lived in the Cape for 10 years and for the last four years was a resident of Jesup, Ga.
She is survived by one daughter, Jacqueline (Duane) Bell of Jesup, Ga.; grandsons, Michael (Stephanie) Bell and William H. Bell, all of Jesup, Ga.; five great-grandchildren; stepson, Barry Briggs of Vineland, N.J., and stepdaughter, Patti Lee Ryan of Napa, Calif., along with their children and grandchildren; sisters-in-law, Virginia Riley and Patty Matyger of Bridgeton, N.J., and Betty Bland of Millville, N.J.; and a number of nieces, nephews and cousins, including nephews and their spouses, Michael and Vera Sharp of Landisville, N.J., William and Patty Sharp of Pittsgrove, N.J., and Merle and Gail Sharp of Los Angeles, Calif.
She was predeceased by her husband of 52 years, William F. “Dickie” Briggs, in 2000; sisters, Vallie I. Sharp and Emma S. Linville; brothers-in-law, the Rev. C. Melvin Briggs and his wife Beatrice, Elmer Briggs and his wife Thelma, Robert Riley William Matyger and Donald Bland; and sister-in-law, Mildred Weber and her husband Luther.
Funeral services were held Sept. 8 at Freitag Funeral Home, 137 W. Commerce St., Bridgeton, N.J. Burial took place at Laurel Lawn Cemetery in Upper Deerfield Township, N.J. The pallbearers were Duane Bell, Michael and William Bell, Michael, William and Merle Sharp.
Written condolences and tributes may be sent to the family using the funeral home Web site: freitagfuneralhome.com.