Jackson Briggs Connolly, 72

Jackson Briggs Connolly went to heaven on July 14, 2020, at home in Post Falls, Idaho, after a long and courageous battle with liver failure caused by primary sclerosing cholangitis. He is survived by his wife, Kathleen, and son, James. He was preceded in death by his older brother, William, and sister, Corrinne.

Jack was born in Oakland, Calif., on Feb. 7, 1948, to Olive Ruth Morgan Connolly and William Arthur Connolly. Jack’s family moved to Danville, Calif., while he was in second grade and he spent his early life fishing and hiking in the Sierra Mountains and camping at the family’s beloved Long Pond campsite. He met his wife, Kathy, in high school. They were married in 1969 while at Fresno State University. Jack and Kathy were married for 51 years at the time of Jack’s death.

Jack’s early career was in teaching shop class in Chowchilla, Calif., before he became an industrial designer in San Francisco in 1972, where his work contributed to the rise of personal computing. His early designs now grace computer museums. His success in San Francisco allowed him and Kathy to move to North Idaho to become homesteading artists in 1980. Jack and Kathy built their life on 20 acres, north of Sandpoint, Idaho, by building and growing what they needed. What they couldn’t build or grow they paid for with carpentry jobs and selling wood carvings at art shows throughout the Northwest.

Jack built his family with the birth of his son, James, in Sandpoint, and eventually moved them to the Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls area, where he joined the professional world again, working for numerous local technology companies until his retirement in 2016. By the time of his retirement, he had wide respect within his industry and held several patents. Jack brought art to whatever he did with his remarkable hand sketching abilities. His energetic nature drew people in and friends were never hard to come by.

Throughout his life, Jack loved to fly gliders, hike, camp, ride motorcycles, sea kayak, downhill ski, and above all, he enjoyed the company of his many friends. Jack was a founding member of Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, in Sandpoint, and was a beloved active member, choir member and senior elder at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Coeur d’Alene for decades.

Services will be held at Christ the King Lutheran Church at 1 p.m. Monday, July 27, 2020. Instead of flowers, please donate to the Christ the King benevolence fund. Due to COVID-19, seating will be limited. Those who wish to join online are encouraged to visit https://vimeo.com/439830701 to watch the live-streamed service. The broadcast will begin at approximately 12:55 p.m.