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Passing Of A True Survivor
Inaugural Keynote Speaker For Brick Relay For Life Passes Away
By Keith Hagarty
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Brick Township recently lost a true survivor with the passing of Jack Briody, the inaugural keynote speaker for the Brick Relay For Life.
After long-term bouts with various forms of cancer, Briody, 72, will be remembered as a dynamic personality who never gave up the fight against cancer and educating the community about the importance of prevention and compassion, said his good friend and co-chair of the annual Brick Relay For Life, Leon Mowadia.
"He was an inspiration," said Mowadia, 67. "He was always an inspiration to me in my business career and personally, but (Briody's death) definitely has given me extra motivation to make sure this year's Relay is even more of a success for Jack as we keep building."
Briody was the first keynote speaker for the Brick Relay For Life upon its inception four years ago. At the time, Briody had already been waging the war against cancer for six years. He was first diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, then several years later was diagnosed with colon cancer, before ultimately succumbing to a rapidly aggressive and adaptive form of cancer.
"They didn't have a cure for what he had so he had to keep getting chemo treatments," said Mowadia. "The message he had given at Relay was, 'I'm sick and I've got cancer, but I've got hope that they will find a cure for the kind of cancer I have now,' which was just a constant stream of tumors being put into his body."
Throughout all the pain and suffering, Briody never complained. Even when most people would've taken a break, Briody was dedicated to the cause, said Mowadia.
"He was still fighting. He went through 24 months of straight chemo," he said. "The guy was invincible. The inspirational speech he gave that night was: 'There is hope out there. I'm a living example that you can fight this thing.'"
When the Relay first began, Mowadia, a Brick resident since 1971, was faced with the task of getting a keynote speaker who was a cancer survivor who embodied a strong sense of character and fortitude when facing a crisis. He said it didn't take long to realize his friend and former colleague of over 30 years was the perfect choice, despite not living in Brick.
"I said if you want an inspirational speaker, he's the guy. We got to get this guy," said Mowadia. "And we got him."
With over 325 people attending the Relay's opening kickoff four years ago- a record at the time- it didn't take long for everyone to realize Briody was an excellent choice.
"After he ended his speech, he went down into the audience and the people were just amazed," said Mowadia. "They just welcomed him wholeheartedly into the community, so at that point, he became a Brick resident. They accepted him like an adopted resident."
In addition to his keynote speaking duties, Briody had a very strong influence over the past four years in helping the Relay For Life Committee organize and promote the annual charity event, which in the last three years alone has raised nearly half a million dollars.
"He was just that kind of guy, and everyone loved him," said Mowadia. "He was like my brother."
With 13 schools in the Brick Township School District involved in the annual Relay For Life, Mowadia recalled Briody's message to the children at one of the events.
"It was don't smoke and make sure you use sunscreen because those are the two things that can really hurt you in the years to come," said Mowadia. "Cancer doesn't discriminate by age, or by wealth, by color or by religion. Everyone's touched by it. There's no family that doesn't have someone that either has cancer, or passed away from cancer."
As president of the near billion dollar company, Phillips Lighting, and a top executive for Magnetek and Advance Transformer, Briody worked tirelessly throughout his life, and paid his due to achieve such success.
"He came up the hard way through the tenements of the Bronx in New York City," said Mowadia. "He was a self-made man."
Briody's passion for life and the community was evident as soon as he opened his mouth, Mowadia added.
"He was an inspirational speaker," he said. "He could start his own religion when he got up to spoke."
But Briody's influence transcended merely speaking to cancer victims from a podium, as he also emphasized a need to consult with them and their family members one on one to help them battle through the ordeal.
"He was always giving," said Mowadia. "That's what made him so special."
To honor Briody's memory, his wife, Ann, will be featured at the upcoming Brick Relay For Life, with several members of his family, including some being flown in from Phoenix, Arizona, expected to attend the memorial held at Brick Township High School on June 7 and 8.
Even in his last moments, Briody made sure Ann knew exactly where he wanted people's thoughts to be.
"He said to his wife, 'I don't want any flowers at my funeral, I want all donations to go to the Brick Relay For Life,'" said Mowadia. "He substantiated the kind of guy he was, just a hell of gesture. But that's who he was. He died as he lived. He was just always giving back."
To honor Briody's dying request, donations in his memory can be made to: the American Cancer Society, Brick Relay For Life, Team Briody, 1035 Hooper Ave., Toms River, NJ 08753.
"Already we're getting donations. One company already donated over $1,000," said Mowadia. "I mean, here's a guy on his death bed still giving back. That's the kind of guy he was."
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