John Donald Riggs Jr......Age 84

VISITATION: 11-12pm, Saturday, February 6, 2016

SERVICE: 12pm, Saturday, February 6, 2016

All at the Parker United Methodist Church, Parker, Ks

BURIAL: Cadmus Cemetery, Cadmus, Ks.

MEMORIALS: Boy Scouts of America and may be sent in c/o Eddy-Birchard Funeral Home, P.O. Box 430, Osawatomie, Ks 66064

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John Donald Riggs Jr. of Parker, Kansas was born February 2, 1931 and went home to be with the Lord on January 30, 2016 to be reunited with his wife Osee.

John and Osee were high school sweethearts at Parker High School, senior year John played center for the Linn County Champs. He was offered a scholarship to attend and play football for Emporia State University, but instead decided to get married and start his family with Osee.  John and Osee were united in marriage on December 17, 1950, and were blessed with six children. John and Osee made their home in Kansas City, KS where they raised their family.

John started working in 1950 for Sealright Inc. out of Kansas City, Kansas.  He started as a maintenance man and worked his way up to supervisor.  He worked for Sealright Inc. for 42 years until he decided to retire in 1993.

In 1993, after John retired, he and Osee moved back to Parker and built a home on the family farm. John and Osee were very active in the Parker community, volunteering for Boy Scouts, the Parker Museum, the Parker Historical Society, the local food pantry and the Parker United Methodist Church. John was always an avid outdoorsman.  He took his children camping, hunting, and fishing. He was outside as often as possible. In the spring and summer he would help Osee with a big garden where they grew various vegetables. They canned things like salsa, jellies and other vegetables.  John was known to make fudge for years.  He even sent fudge to his cousin, who was in a submarine, during the Vietnam War.  During basketball season you could find John watching the KU basketball team. He loved telling his kids and grandkids stories and he was very good at it.

John was preceded in death by his loving wife Osee Ellen (White) Riggs, daughters Linda Riggs and Nancy Green his parents John Riggs Sr. and Elsie (Petty) Riggs Cresson, twin Brother James Riggs, half-brother Ray Riggs and half-sister Laura Bell Atkinson.

He is survived by his sons John III (Molly) of La Cygne, KS, Joseph (LaVeda) of La Cygne, KS, James (Sarah) Fort Scott, KS and Jeffrey (Kristin) of Louisburg, KS. Half-Sisters Darlene (Sonny) Carroll of Garden City, Kansasand Laurna Pendergraftof Lakeland, Florida.

John is also survived by his loving grandchildren Jo Anne Bair, Joshua Riggs, Erika Laney, Justin Riggs, Jessica Stiles, Joey Riggs, RaeAnna Riggs, Jedidiah Riggs, Billy Gooderl, Julie Burk, and Jesse Funk in addition to twenty great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.