William Joseph Riley

William J. Riley, 85, passed away Friday, August 24, 2012, as the sun rose. He was born to Marie G. and Michael Riley on December 26, 1926, in Humboldt, Nebraska. After high school, he joined the U.S. Army in the 42nd Infantry Rainbow Division and served in Austria/Germany towards the end of World War II. He returned to Nebraska and attended two years at the University of Nebraska. He moved to Glenwood Springs, Colorado to ski and work and met Mary Louise Kelly. They were married on December 28, 1951, in Hales Corner, Wisconsin. They moved to Salt Lake City, and began their family, putting away their wooden skis.

Born to Bill and Lou were 11 children, 10 surviving...Ann and Pat Turner and their children, Josh and Leah and their children, Rowan, Celeste and Drake; Jeb and Terese and their children, Seth, Luke, Cole, Cam and Hallie, Janae and Jamie; Kay and her children, J'Myle and Megan, Pat, Riley Jr. (Mike), John and Kelly and their children, Brandy and Jason and their children, Eli and Camden, Chris; Shannon and John and their children, Lilly, Faith and Jewel, Kip and Amy and Noah; Mary and Bill Giguere and their children, Jessica, Sara and David, Margaret and Gus Riley-Nystrom, and Gus' children; David and Tina and their families; Barbara and Leo Sanchez and their children, Christina and Joel and Catcher and soon to be little girl, Jennifer, Mary Kelly and Sam, Megan and David Riley-Foy and Ryan, and adopted daughter; Donna Miller Joubert and her family.

He worked for the Catholic Register and Newspaper Agency in Salt Lake City. Bill and Lou introduced their children to the Utah mountains and many a time had picnics and hikes at the top of MillCreek Canyon. In December 1965, he moved his family to Las Vegas, and worked for Woolco/Woolworth. He watched the desert disappear as the valley grew. In the early 1980's, Woolco closed. In 1983, he obtained his real estate license and started his real estate career at Jack Matthew's and Co. He later was a realtor at Prudential earning his CRS and GRI, working into his mid-70's. February 14, 1990, he lost his wife Lou. He met Rita O'Neil at the Symphony Guild. They were married June 17, 1994, combining their families and adding two daughters whom he loved as his own, Kelly and Tracy.

Riley and Rita were quite active in the theater and symphony scene. They traveled frequently throughout the U.S. to visit their kids and grandkids. Riley and Rita traveled to Arkansas for a Riley reunion, truly enjoying every moment with their grandkids. Riley was a very social person, he loved telling stories and if he had listeners he could go on and on. He typically got to know his kids' friends, with many of them buying houses from him. He was well taken care of these past few years being able to live at home with his son, Riley Jr. and timeless effort from Mary, Margaret and Barbara. He moved into Emeritus in April 2009, was cared for by an amazing and loving staff. He enjoyed this past year and a half, establishing good relationships with both the staff and residents. He will be deeply missed.

Riley is survived by his children. He was preceded in death by his mother; sisters, Bernadine and Rita, Mary Louise Riley and Rita Riley.