James Philip Briggs, III
August 23, 1961 – January 6, 2024

It is with deep sadness that we announce the sudden passing of James Philip Briggs, III, (Jim) who died on January 6, 2024. He was born in Alexandria, VA and grew up in Arlington, VA where he graduated from Washington-Lee (W-L) High School in 1979.

Jim studied Languages and Linguistics at Georgetown University and graduated in1985. He spoke several foreign languages and was fluent in Russian. Jim spent 36 years working for several telecommunications companies including MCI, British Telecom, Sprint Global One and AT&T. He was very adept at designing networks for customers and applied his knowledge to earn a master's degree in telecommunications from George Mason University in 2006.

Along the way, he met and married Laura (Ross) Briggs who was a teacher with Loudoun County Public Schools. After they were married in 1992, they built their home north of Leesburg. Jim and Laura enjoyed traveling to various conferences, spending summer vacations in Maine and family vacations in the Outer Banks and Deep Creek Lake. Jim was a collector; he had several old cars and guitars, along with many books, records and CDs, all of which reflected his interest in history, ancestry, politics, music, space and technology. He was a member of Mensa and was recently admitted into the Mayflower Society. People who knew him said that "he knew a lot about everything".

He was a founding member of his church, St. Raphael of Brooklyn Orthodox Church, which meets in Centreville, VA. He was active in the Loudoun County Republican Party and volunteered for many years on Election Day at the Lucketts polling location. Both Laura and Jim experienced some health challenges in recent years. When Laura became critically ill at the end of 2023, the stress of her situation took its toll on him. Laura passed away one day after Jim; they were laid to rest together in Union Cemetery.

Jim was preceded in death by his father, James P. Briggs, Jr. and mother, Sally T. Briggs. He is survived by his sister, Susan Glass, her husband Greg Glass, his nephew, Wes Glass, and several cousins.

A memorial service to celebrate the lives of Jim and Laura will be held on Saturday, January 20, 2024, at the Colonial Funeral Home in Leesburg, VA, the gathering will begin at 11:00 am and the service will begin at noon; friends and family are invited to remember and honor them. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Briggs Animal Adoption Center in Charles Town, WV or to the American Diabetes Association.