On June 1, 2021, Eva Mae Hooten Riley, 96, entered the gates of heaven. A family graveside service and internment will be held on Saturday, June 5, 2021, 10:00 AM, at Rose Hill Cemetery in Tyler. Rev. Travis Sellers will officiate the service directed by Lloyd James Funeral Home of Tyler.
Mrs. Riley’s formative years were spent in Paris, Texas where she met the love of her life, WW2 soldier, rancher, and newspaper man, Lewis Riley. She was a homemaker, talented seamstress and cook, avid traveler, and long-time resident of Tyler, Texas. She was a member of Green Acres Baptist Church. She and her husband previously resided in Canton, Texas where they owned and operated the Riley Red Brahman Ranch.
Mrs. Riley was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Lewis E. Riley; son, Terry Lee Riley; parents, Luther Bill Hooten and Nellie Leora Hanna Hooten of Paris; siblings, Gladys McWilliams, Billy Joe Hooten, Betty Cooksey, Paul Henry Hooten, and Mary Watson; granddaughter, Renee Mullins; and grandsons, Frankie Nichols and Michael Gage and great grandson Trevor Jordan.
She is survived by daughters, Dr. Marylyn Wright of Athens and Jeanne Gage of Lindale; sister, Dorothy Wilkerson of Tyler; daughter-in-law, Ruthie Riley of Nashville, Tennessee; grandchildren Holly Jenkins, Caroline Sellers, Julie Black, Tammy Herrington, Rusty Gaston, Deanna Jordan, 25 great grandchildren, 11 great-great grandchildren, many cherished nieces and nephews, and many devoted friends from Arabella of Athens, Cedar Lake Nursing Home of Malakoff, Cedar Lake Hospice, FBC-Athens, and FUMC-Athens .
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to either:
First Baptist Church-Choir Budget, 105 S. Carroll, Athens, Texas 75751 or to First United Methodist Church-Choir Budget, P.O. Box 911, Athens 75751
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18