Madelyn Briggs

Madelyn (Midge) Elaine Briggs passed peacefully at Meadow Mills Assisted Living and Memory
Care facility in Hamden, Connecticut, on Wednesday, Nov. 24, 13 days short of her 96th
birthday.

Mrs. Briggs was the widow of Dr. Richard C. Briggs, who was Norwalk superintendent of
schools during the 1970s. She lived in her beloved “home on the hill” at 18 Marlborough Rd. in
Norwalk for 50 years,

Born in Norwich, Connecticut, on Dec. 7, 1925 and raised in Uncasville, Connecticut, she was
the daughter of Susan Fitch Home and Armand J Plouffe.
Mrs. Briggs was a graduate of Uncasville Grammar School; The Williams School, in New
London, Connecticut, and what is now Eastern Connecticut State University, where she earned
a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1947.

She spent seven years teaching first grade at Palmer Memorial School in Montville,
Connecticut, where the average class size was 40 pupils. She always made the time to be
helpful and caring to every student in her classroom, no matter how many children were in the
class.

On June 25, 1949, she and Dr. Briggs married at her parents’ home in Uncasville. The couple
began their marriage living in Lebanon, Connecticut, and then Willimantic, Connecticut. As Dr.
Briggs moved from teacher to principal to superintendent, the couple lived in Chaplin,
Woodbridge, Storrs and Watertown, all in Connecticut, before moves to East Greenbush, New
York, and Providence, Rhode Island. The family moved to Norwalk in 1971.
Mrs. Briggs loved her potted plants, flower gardens and lawn decorations. She always fed her
birds and especially enjoyed watching her cardinals because she strongly believed their
presence meant the spirit of a loved one was close by.
She enjoyed reading, crossword puzzles (usually solving two a day) and always believed in
accomplishing something on her “to do” list every day because, she would say, “no one is
promised tomorrow.” She was not fond of the word “bored” and never used it to describe a
single day of her life.

For many years she volunteered at the Information desk at Norwalk City Hall where she
enjoyed helping visitors find their way through the building to their destinations. She would see
many friends while manning the desk and made many new friends as well. She is remembered
as a cheerful, helpful person with a ready smile and a great sense of humor.
Mrs. Briggs also volunteered at Star, Norwalk Reads and RSVP Mailings, and she worked in the
gift shop and mail room at Honey Hill Care Center before it became Autumn Lake. She was also
a member of the Norwalk Senior Center and the Williams Memorial Institute Alumni Association.
Mrs.Briggs is survived by her son Allyn S. Briggs (Marcy), of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina; her
daughter, Susan Briggs Temelini (Stephen), of Redding, Connecticut; her son Lyndon R. Briggs,
of Derby, Connecticut; two granddaughters, Kathryn (Thomas) Freeman, of Herndon, Virginia,
and Maryn M. Cahalan, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and two grandsons, Richard J. Briggs, of
Milford, Connecticut, and Thomas B Cahalan, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is also
survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins in Mystic, Connecticut; Blue Hill, Maine, and
Cape Cod. She was pre-deceased by her dear brother, Raymond Plouffe, of Mystic.
Her family wishes to extend their sincere thanks and gratitude to the staff at Meadow Mills
Assisted Living and Memory Care as well as her hospice caregivers for their dedication in
making the last months of her life peaceful, happy and comfortable. A special thank you to her
neighbors on Marlborough Rd for always looking out for her and brightening her days through
their phone calls and visits.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 7, at the Raymond Funeral Home
(Hoyt Cognetta), 5 East Wall Street, Norwalk, Connecticut at 11:00 am.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to Visiting Nurse and Hospice of
Fairfield County, PO Box 489, Wilton, Connecticut, 06897, or The Connecticut Audubon Society,
314 Unquowa Rd, Fairfield, Connecticut, 06824.