Mr. James Rex Briles, 86, passed away Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at his home in Southmont, NC.

Per Mr. Briles wishes, there will be no services.

He was born on May 2, 1940, in Washington, D.C. to the late Rex and Ivy Black Briles. Growing up in Graham, NC, Mr. Briles was an Eagle Scout, Order of the Arrow, and an avid ham radio operator.

Mr. Briles was a U.S. Navy Veteran, Petty Officer Second Class/CT-2, stationed in Karamürsel,Turkey and Edzell, Scotland.

In 1963, Mr. Briles met and married Catherine McGarry Cameron in Montrose, Scotland.

Mr. Briles was an Emmy Award Winning Producer and Director for WFMY Channel 2, starting in 1963 and retiring in 1999.

Survivors include his wife, Catherine McGarry Briles (Nee Cameron); two sons, James Rex Briles Jr. and his wife, Jovanna of Winston-Salem and Rodney Trent Briles of Thomasville; three grandchildren, Michael Trent Briles and his wife, Sarah, of Greensboro, Alexandria Parry and her husband, Marty, of Valdese, and Cameron Jewel Briles of Trinity, NC; one great grandchild, Braylin Briles of Greensboro; one sister, Ellen Machacek and her husband, David, of Zebulon; and one brother, Kevin Garrett of Burlington.