Bradner James Charles Riggs

Bradner James Charles Riggs, 84, was born in Jersey City, NJ, on May 2, 1924, first son of Bradner W. and Elizabeth (Jensen) Riggs. He died of cancer on Thursday, October 23, 2008 in Rockford. He graduated from St. Michaels High School in Union City, NJ and enlisted in the United States Army during World War II, serving as an anti-aircraft artilleryman in Algeria, Tunisia, Italy, France and Germany. He graduated from The George Washington University with Associate in Arts and Bachelor of Law degrees. He was admitted to the practice of law in the District of Columbia in 1952 and in Illinois in 1974. He is also a member of the bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and of the Supreme Court of the United States. He married Lois Schroers on May 17, 1947 in Rochelle Park, NJ. They have resided in Rockford since 1959. God has granted them sixty one years of love, friendship and joy of living together and five wonderful children, Christine (David) Mitchell, Waterloo, IA; Andrew (Connie) Riggs, Libertyville, IL; Daniel (April) Riggs, Loves Park; Peter Riggs, Rockford and David Riggs; ten grandchildren: Adrienne (Robert ) Van Norman, Rebecca Mitchell, Michael, Patrick, Samual, Kelsey, Madison, Philip, Luke and Ian Riggs and three great-grandchildren, Charles, William and Melli. He has one brother, Victor (Dorothy) Riggs, Mesquite, TX; a sister-in-law, Rosemarie Mayer, Rochelle Park, NJ and several cousins, nephews and nieces. He is predeceased by his parents and his son, David. Brad was employed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation from January 1946 until he retired in May 1974. He was appointed a Special Agent in June 1952 and is a member of the Society of Former Special Agents of the F.B.I. He specialized in major theft and organized crime investigation and had a number of undercover assignments. He served as a Winnebago County Assistant States Attorney from May 1974 until he was appointed an Associate Judge of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court in March 1978. He was Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Court during most of his years on the bench. He retired from the bench in December 1988 but was recalled in 1989 for three months and as a Circuit Judge from December 1995 until December 1996. He was a member of and past president of the Winnebago County Bar Association and of the Illinois Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, and past chairman of the Juvenile Justice Section and a Fellow of the Illinois State Bar Foundation. He was a founding member and a committee chairman of the Illinois Juvenile Justice Task Force. He served on numerous other local and statewide civic committees. He played a leading roll in the transfer of the Federal Court from Freeport to Rockford and in the establishment, in Rockford, of the Volunteer Lawyer Program at Prairie State Legal Service, the Youth Services Network, the Childrens Advocacy Project and the Winnebago County Court Appointed Special Advocate Program. He enjoyed reading, travel, bridge, especially with his mens group, the Friends of Goren (FOG) and playing basketball, touch football, tennis and racquetball with the Oxford Athletic Club. He was a member of the Foundation for International Cooperation and, since 1946, was a 3rd Degree member of the Knights of Columbus. He was a member of the Cathedral of St. Peter Parish until 1985 and served as a member of the Parish Council, Lector, Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, and assisted in the drafting of the post Vatican II Parish Constitution. In 1985, he and Lois moved to Holy Family parish where he served as Chair of the Parish Consultation Process Committee and as a Lector. He was a regular retreatant at the Jesuit Retreat House, Oshkosh, WI. and for the past several years was proud to have Andy, Dan and Peter join him. Mass of Christian Burial at 1:30 p.m. Monday, October 27, 2008 in Holy Family Catholic Church with R