Matthew Briggs

Matthew Clinton Briggs, 61, of Camby, passed away surrounded by his loving family on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016 at IU Health West Hospital in Avon.]

Born on Aug. 27, 1955 in Greencastle, he was the son of Evelyn M. (Nevins) Zeis and the late Fred Herbert Briggs.

He graduated from Greencastle High School with the class of 1973. He then studied at Indiana University in Indianapolis and earned a Masters of Information Science and a Masters of Business Administration. He was a dedicated researcher and teacher.

He served as research director at Colliers Turley Martin Tucker in Indianapolis and also as an online instructor at University of Phoenix, teaching market research for many years. Earlier in his career, he was a market research analyst for Reilly Industries Inc. for 23 years.

On Sept. 3, 1990, he married the love of his life, Patricia Baumgartner and she survives.

Matthew loved his family and spending time with his nieces and nephews.

Survivors include his mother, Evelyn M. (James F.) Zeis of Greencastle; sisters Beth Ann (Gary) Goodman of South Carolina, Laura Lynn Briggs of Bloomington; stepsisters Darla Zeis and Beth Anne Zeis, both of Greencastle; brother-in-law Joseph Baumgartner; uncle and aunt Arthur and Sarah Nevins of Ashburn, Va.; and many nieces and nephews and several great-nieces and great-nephews.

His family and friends remember him best for his witty sense of humor, his positive personality, his passion for art and his great love of music. He had a bottomless supply of love for everyone he met. His doors were always open...he was a great friend to all.

Matt’s devotion to nature led him to plant more than 300 trees on his property for the wildlife and then register his land as a certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat and an official Monarch Waystation Habitat. He built a small vineyard for the birds and was dedicated to attracting Hummingbirds.

He loved winning chess games and challenging everyone to a lively croquet match in his back yard, where he built a regulation size Croquet Mall.

A private service will be held at a later date. Final care and cremation arrangements were entrusted to Carlisle – Branson Funeral Service & Crematory, Mooresville. Please visitwww.CarlisleBranson.com to leave a personal message for the family.

In celebration of Matthew’s life, donations are welcome at the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration at theaftd.givezooks.com/grassroots_fundraisers/running-for-ftd-research.