Religion and family the key for South Side woman

Margaret Briley had two main interests in her long life: Church and family.

"She was a very devout woman and one whose family was very important to her," said her daughter Sherry Rowsick.

Margaret A. Briley, of Brentwood, died Saturday, Sept. 10, 2005, of congestive heart failure and other ailments. She was 86.

Mrs. Briley was born in the South Side, and spent most of her life there and in Knoxville, moving to Brentwood after her husband died in 1981. She was in the women's guild in her church and volunteered around St. Canice Parish in Knoxville cleaning and doing other tasks with fellow parishioners, her daughter said.

"Her life revolved around her children and church," Rowsick said.

Mrs. Briley also liked to spend time in the kitchen cooking and was proud of her Irish heritage, Rowsick said. Rowsick decribed her mother as a simple woman with a keen sense of family, devoted to her work as a homemaker and to raising her children properly.

Mrs. Briley doted on her grandchildren and great grandchild, Rowsick said.

She was predeceased by her husband, Richard T. Briley.

Mrs. Browley is survived by three daughters, Sherry Rowsick and her husband, Joe, Debbie Mutschler and her husband, Jay, ofBaldwin, , and Janet Denillo, of Brentwood; two sons, Joe Briley and wife, Brenda, of Scott, and Bill Briley and wife, Chris, of Monroeville; and 15 grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Visitation is from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. today at the John F. Slater Funeral Home , 4201 Brownsville Road, Brentwood. A funeral prayer will be said at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday in the funeral home followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. Sylvester Church.

Mrs. Briley's family has asked that donations in their mother's name be made to Family Hospice and Palliative Care, 250 Mt. Lebanon Blvd., Suite 203 , Pittsburgh, PA. 15234.