Leslie Patrick Riley

Les graduated from Atlanta High School at the age of 17. Though originally planning to attend Cowley County Junior College, a last-minute change of heart led him to Kansas City Bible College in Kansas City, Missouri. It was there, on his first day on campus, that he met Pauline Marie Hogan—the woman who would become the love of his life. The two married on June 8, 1952.

Les and Pauline later moved to New York, where he earned his Bachelor of Theology degree and where their first two children were born. They eventually returned to the Kansas City area and welcomed two more children into their family.

After settling again in Kansas City, Les accepted a call to ministry and served as pastor of Easton Bible Church for approximately four and a half years. He then returned to Kansas City Bible College to complete his Bachelor of Arts degree, graduating in 1961, the same year their youngest child was born.

In the 1970s, Les and his family moved to Chanute, Kansas, where he began a new chapter as Officer Riley and also obtained his EMT license. The family later returned to Olathe, where he joined the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, earning the well-known title of Deputy Riley. He retired from the Sheriff’s Office in the early 1990s and cherished the opportunity to spend more time with Pauline until her passing on August 1, 1999.

While attending a grief counseling group in the years that followed, Les met Kate Wells Hunsicker, who became the second great love of his life. They were married and enjoyed ten wonderful years together before her passing on September 4, 2011. During this time, Les also spent more than twenty years working as a school bus driver, a job he truly enjoyed.

On April Fool’s Day in 2012, Les was blessed once more in love when he began dating Doris Landis, with whom he shared the final 14 years of his life. Together, they traveled and explored the world, creating countless memories.

Les was preceded in death by his parents, Leslie Peacock Riley Jr. and Fae Elreen (Lewis) Riley; his siblings Verne, Lillian, James, and Martha; his spouses Pauline Marie (Hogan) Riley and Kate Wells; and his children James Edward Riley, Patricia Marie Smith, and Bruce Lynn Riley.

He is survived by his children Karl (Carol) Riley and Ruth (Ralph) Schoffstall; his beloved companion Doris Landis and her four children; as well as his grandchildren Jennifer (Brian) Bradshaw, April (Rob) Martin, Allen (Shannon) Schoffstall, Ginger Lingle, Season (Rodney) Bass, and Jonathan Riley and fiancée Sierra Moses. He is also survived by twelve great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.

Les Riley lived a life of faith, service, and love. His legacy endures in the many people he touched, the families he cherished, and the adventures he embraced. He will be deeply missed.