Lawrence Briske's Obituary
Lawrence Briske, 105, was born on June14, 1915, the 7th child of 12, born on the North Dakota homestead of his parents Joseph and Mary Briske, immigrants from Yugoslavia. Lawrence passed away peacefully, on September 5, 2020 in Tacoma, Washington. He is survived by his daughters, Evelyn (John) Bredeson, and Elaine (Richard) Mace, and his sons, Dwight (JoAnn) Briske, Gary (Jane) Briske, David (Pam) Briske, son-in-law Jerry Kiniry and 14 grandchilden, 21 great grandchildren and 3 great, great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. Lawrence was preceded in death by his parents and 11 siblings, his wife, Alice Anderson Briske, his daughter, Carol Briske Kiniry, a daughter- in- law and a grandson.
Growing up on the farm, Lawrence walked to attend a country school, helped with farm chores of tending livestock, milking cows, and at age 15 he was seeding wheat with draft horses and working fields with a two bottom plow. He attended a trade school in Dickinson, North Dakota, and became proficient in fixing and running farm equipment. In his spare time, Lawrence and his brothers learned to play guitars, violins, and other instruments by ear. In his 80's, he played the mandolin in an old timers band.
In 1940, Lawrence married Alice Anderson and lived in New England, ND. During his life, he farmed, worked as a mechanic and worked on water and oil rigs. In 1955, the family moved to Washington State, where Lawrence became employed at Boeing Aircraft Co. as a 'tooling inspector'. He retired from Boeing in 1976.
All his life, Lawrence loved to travel, and kept busy with his hobbies, which included tinkering with tractors, playing music, building things (he built two houses) and fixing watches. He loved God and his family and enjoyed helping and participating in all church and family events.
Known by all as a talented, considerate, gentle man, Lawrence was called Pa, Dad, Daddy, Father, Grandpa and 'Chief' by family, friends and relatives with much love and respect. He was a long]me member of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Tacoma.
The family sincerely thanks King's Manor Senior Living Community for their wonderful, loving, and excellent care of Lawrence.
To ensure the health and safety of our community, we are following all guidelines set by local, state and CDC officials. Please contact the funeral home with any questions and we encourage friends and families to check back for service updates.
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