David C. Briegel

November 26th, 1935 - January 13th, 2021

David's Memory Wall

We encourage you to share your most beloved memories of David here, so that the family and other loved ones can always see it. Share your favorite stories or comment on those shared by others.

Dear Camille, Carrie and Family, Our hearts are sadden by the loss of Dave. Our lives were forever changed when we moved to Dowagiac in 1990 and the Briegel's came into our lives. I'm not sure how it happened but the song "Oh Danny Boy" became a signature greeting over the years whether he called us our we called him. His caring mentorship, wisdom, love and support over the years have been instrumental in this family's path. He will always stay in our hearts and we will continue to be a richer family because of Dave Briegel. Our prayers and thoughts go out to you. We truly love him and will miss him. The Skoog Family.

Elaine Skoog

January 31st, 2021 at 8:21am

I deeply mourn the death of my friend David. It is hard for me to believe that he won’t be here to share with us his happiness and enthusiasm. He is my longest lifetime friend. Our history began in Alger Elementary School in Grand Rapids where we played in the sandboxes, playgrounds, and baseball fields. We continued being buddies at Ottawa Hills High School on the football field and after school. He continued his education at Michigan State. I didn’t get there until years later for grad school although I was never as passionate a Spartan fan as he was. But, we did have a similar passion, rooting for the Tigers. As evidence of that, one day while in high school we decided that driving to Detroit for a double header would be a good thing to do. Unfortunately, it was on a school day. But, no problem, nobody would miss the three of us--David, Bruce Barnes, and I. However, our history teacher Mr. Abendschein, thought differently. He was a little suspicious when all three of us didn’t show up for his afternoon class. Needless to say, we were missed and suffered the consequence. That, as you might guess, has been a memorable story ever since. Our friendship didn’t end after our high school and college days when I was living on the east coast and David and Camille in Michigan. We would schedule vacations to exchange time together every year or two. During this period we had an ongoing laugh about an interaction that occurred on the telephone. One early evening in jest I called David at his home introducing myself as President of Intel. “Mr. Briegel, I’m Stephen Matthews, CEO of Intel. We’re having an important proxy vote within the month and we really need your vote.” About that time, Dave said “Sorry, I can’t talk right now; we’re getting ready to head out.” And he abruptly hung up. About twenty minutes later, I get a call from Dave. “You son of a gun! I thought about that call. Why, I don’t even own Intel!” So, we had some wonderful times together from our days in the sandbox in elementary school through our married lives. My wife Jacqui and I will miss him deeply. I give my sincere regrets and warm wishes to Camille, Carrie, Edith and their families during this difficult time.

Jim Hedberg