In Memoriam

John Poole Briggs, 85

August 9, 1937 - September 16, 2022

COOPERSTOWN – John Poole Briggs, 85, died peacefully at his home in Ormond Beach, Florida, on September 16, 2022, with his fiancé at his side. 

He was born on August 9, 1937, to Harold John Poole and Edna Martha (Fredericks) Briggs of Northport. As a young boy, he spent summers on his father’s boat, the “Silver Fox,” where he developed a love for the ocean. A businessman at heart, John would sell batteries and T.V. tubes to fishermen and boaters on the dock in Northport. At 15, he opened his first T.V. repair shop behind the Midway, a newspaper & soda shop. He then proceeded to help his lifelong friend, Elsa Posey, who was also 15, open her school of dance.

In 1954, he drove his 1934 wood-side Ford across the country to Alaska. After his funds were exhausted, he returned home. The young businessman continued his T.V. repair business as he rented a shop on Main Street in Northport. One lesson he would reflect on often was when his father borrowed $1,000.00 from him and used it as a down payment to purchase a building for the business. His father’s opinion was, in business, if you have to make payments, “it is better to own than rent.”