M. Darrell Briggs

Merton Darrell Briggs, known as Darrell, passed away of natural causes, on February 25, 2023, at the age of 87. He was born and raised in Manchester NH, son of the late Merton G. and Hortense (Knights) Briggs. He graduated from Manchester Central High School in 1953, and went on to graduate from MIT in Cambridge, MA, in 1957, with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He later went earned two masters degrees, in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, as well as an MBA. Following his graduation from MIT he spent two years as a Lieutenant in the US Army. During his lengthy career, he worked on many secret projects as a contractor for the Federal government. One such project involved creating the first spy satellite, which is on display at the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, VA. He also earned six patents that advanced the technology for the conversion from main frame computing to PCs. One was for the design of a chip that increased the speed of what a PC could do.

He married Joan Francis Curtis (nee Della Puietra) of Bridgeport, CT in 1960. Together they had two children, Julie Anne and Darrell John. A good father, Darrell never missed a school event, play, musical, sports game, or other event involving his children. He was a little league umpire, assistant hockey coach, and soccer coach and referee. He also put his Eagle Scout knowledge to use as a Scout Master for his grandsons.

Although passionate about all of the Boston area professional sports teams, his true love was youth soccer. He coached his daughter’s travel team to a Massachusetts state championship. That team went on to play in a Canadian-US youth tournament in Montreal, as well as a state championship played at the original New England Patriot’s Field in Foxborough. He was instrumental in growing youth soccer especially for girls, serving on the board of the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association (MYSA), and eventually as the president. He went on to serve on the board of US National Youth Soccer Association as board member and treasurer. He was the first person to be inducted into the MYSA Hall of Fame. Besides his children, he
considered this his greatest accomplishment.

Later in life he took up scuba diving, earning his master diver certification. He and his partner, Alice, dived all over the Caribbean, as well as off of Cape Ann near Gloucester. He took up underwater photography, producing close to 50 videotapes. He also helped Alice create a marketing plan around their diving to promote her real estate business.

Darrell will be truly missed by so many. He is survived by his daughter, Julie Briggs and her husband Brent Bursey of Chantilly, VA; his son Darrell Briggs of York, ME; and his three grandsons, Jack of Chelmsford, MA, Adam of Boston, MA, and Paul of York, ME; his companion of 42 years, Alice Krieder formerly of Newton, MA; and many friends including his ex-wife, Joan Curtis and his former mother-in-law, Mary Della Puietra both of York, ME.
 

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