Kay Briggs, Longtime Farmington Teacher and Volunteer, Dies

Kathryn (Kay) Briggs, a long-time Farmington-area teacher and community volunteer, died Aug. 23. She had celebrated her 100th birthday on June 20, at her daughter's home in California. 

A funeral service will be held on Sept. 7, 10 a.m., at Thayer-Rock Funeral Home in Farmington, with Rev. Arthur L. Spafford officiating. Burial will be at Oakland Hills Memorial Gardens in Novi, followed by a reception luncheon.


Mrs. Briggs lived almost all her life in the Farmington Hills home her parents bought in 1920, when she was just 7 years old, according to a memoir provided by a family member. A graduate of Farmington High School, she married Robert H. Briggs in 1938. The couple's children Robert and Diana are also Farmington High graduates. 

After teaching at the elementary level, Mrs. Briggs began working with students who had limited vision and eventually earned a Masters degree in special education. She continued to teach, working with home-bound children, for 10 years after she retired in 1985. 

Travel was a big part of Mrs. Briggs' life. She hosted a public access television show called "Travel with Kay" and showed her travel slides and films to community groups. 

"We traveled someplace every year until Bob died in 1974," she noted in the memoir. "My most memorable moment was finally seeing the Taj Mahal ... But I think my favorite country has been New Zealand." 

Mrs. Briggs was an active member of groups that include the Numismatic Society, Farmington AAUW (American Association of University Women), Friends of the Farmington Community Library, Farmington Garden Club, Lily Society, Farmington Historical Society, Wildflower Association of Michigan and the LOC Federal Credit Union board. She was also a long-time member of the Farmington Hills Historical Commission and Farmington Area Arts Commission. 

In addition to her children, Robert C. Briggs and Diana K. Briggs Butler; survivors include grandchildren Deborah K. Bertotti, Peter Carlson, James F. Briggs, and Elizabeth A. Briggs Johnson; great-grandchildren Michael R. Bertotti, Lauren E. Bertotti Buecke, Rachael M. Bertotti, Stephen E. Bertotti, Therese M. Bertotti, John Paul A. Bertotti, Joseph A. Bertotti, Jonathan B. Carlson, Cathryn S. Carlson, Simon Butler and Penny Butler. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert, and her sister, Gladys Cox.

Memorial contributions, in lieu of flowers, may be made to the charity of the donor's choice, local schools or the historical commission.