Memorial services for Cora “June” Briggs Owen will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 6, 2017 at United Methodist Church in Ellendale, Minnesota. Pastor Randy Cirksena will officiate. Visitation will be held one hour prior. Bonnerup Funeral Service is handling the arrangements.
June Briggs Owen died on April 11, 2017 at the New Richland Care Center at the age of 94. Cora June Russell was born to parents Glen O. and Audrey B. (Gromer) Russell on August 10, 1922, in Bristow, Oklahoma, the second of seven siblings. She was raised in Sedan, Oklahoma. In her younger years, she loved to play softball and high school basketball. She graduated from high school in Sedan and Draughon’s Business College in Oklahoma City.
June was married to Otos Briggs on February 7, 1941. Following their marriage, they worked in the defense plants in Kansas, returning to Oklahoma and farming. In 1952 the family moved to Clarks Grove and in 1955 to their farm north of Ellendale. Otis died in August of 1977.
June was employed by Jostens and Truth Inc. in Owatonna for 14 years, retiring as traffic manager in 1973. June married Wayne Owen at Alamo, Texas in 1984. The couple was married for 11 years, until Wayne passed in 1995.
She was an active member at United Methodist in Ellendale where she taught Sunday School, Bible School, and was active in the women’s groups. In her free time, June liked to sew and do macramé. She also enjoyed traveling, playing shuffleboard, golfing, and fishing with her grandsons.
Survivors include June’s sons, Phillip (Karen) Briggs of Ellendale, Russell Briggs; grandsons, Garrett (April) Briggs of Ellendale, Robert (Star) Briggs of Owatonna, Kenneth (Nicole) Briggs of Brookings, SD, Denise (Brian) Bronner of Owatonna, and Scott Briggs of Blooming Prairie; great-grandchildren, Santana, Aaron, Shea, Alan, Tyler, Andria, Gavin, Rylee, and Laken; 2 great-great grandchildren; sisters, Joy Hotchkiss of Colorado and Carol Nelson of Clarks Grove.
June was preceded in death by her first husband, Otos Briggs; second husband, Wayne Owen; parents; brothers, Glen (Florene) Russell and Robert (Lorrene) Russell; sister, Jean Pearson; daughter-in-law, Diane Briggs; and brothers-in-law, David Nelson and Kenneth Hotchkiss.