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Mary Irita Riley
Red Lodge, MT
December 24, 1921 - September 3, 2020
Mary Irita Riley Obituary
On September 3, 2020 Mary I. Riley was on an outing with her Grandview friends and without warning she left this world to join her heavenly family.
Mary was born on December 24, 1921 to Lawrence and Nora Rankin in Red Lodge, MT. She grew up on the Pinecrest Dude Ranch at the border of the Beartooth National Forest. She was the third of five children: Wilbur, Juanita, Margaret, and Joyce. She had many fond memories of working and playing on the ranch with her family. She attended Volney Creek School which was 3 ½ miles from the ranch. Mary and her siblings rode horseback to get to school. She attended Red Lodge High School graduating in 1939.
Mary married Jack Riley on May 24, 1941. They had two children, Terry and Jackilyn. They bought a house on Haggin and Mary lived in it for 70 years. Jack and Mary enjoyed hunting, fishing, dancing and bowling with their many lifetime friends. Mary and Jack were proudly married for 50 years. Also during this time, she tended her garden, canned fruits and vegetables, and took good care of her family. After her children were grown, she worked in retail stores in Red Lodge. She often spoke highly of the Egnes family and how much she loved working for them in Flash’s Studio. Once she retired, Mary enjoyed working in the Senior Citizen thrift store. But she especially loved eating lunch with her friends in the dining area.
In 2016 Mary graciously made the move to Great Falls to the Grandview so she could be nearer to her family. She thoroughly enjoyed her time there listening to the music, riding in the van, dining with her friends and enjoying her pretty room.
Mary is survived by her daughter, Jackie and son-in-law, Dave; granddaughter, Kerri and her husband, Loren; granddaughter, Julie and her husband, John; great grandchildren, Dillon, Jeana, David, Lori, and William; and many nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly.
Graveside services will be held at the Tony Cemetery near Luther on Saturday, September 12, 2020 at 2pm. If you would like to make a memorial in Mary’s name, please do so to the Red Lodge Senior Center at P. O Box 1293, Red Lodge, MT 59068.
Mary was born on December 24, 1921 to Lawrence and Nora Rankin in Red Lodge, MT. She grew up on the Pinecrest Dude Ranch at the border of the Beartooth National Forest. She was the third of five children: Wilbur, Juanita, Margaret, and Joyce. She had many fond memories of working and playing on the ranch with her family. She attended Volney Creek School which was 3 ½ miles from the ranch. Mary and her siblings rode horseback to get to school. She attended Red Lodge High School graduating in 1939.
Mary married Jack Riley on May 24, 1941. They had two children, Terry and Jackilyn. They bought a house on Haggin and Mary lived in it for 70 years. Jack and Mary enjoyed hunting, fishing, dancing and bowling with their many lifetime friends. Mary and Jack were proudly married for 50 years. Also during this time, she tended her garden, canned fruits and vegetables, and took good care of her family. After her children were grown, she worked in retail stores in Red Lodge. She often spoke highly of the Egnes family and how much she loved working for them in Flash’s Studio. Once she retired, Mary enjoyed working in the Senior Citizen thrift store. But she especially loved eating lunch with her friends in the dining area.
In 2016 Mary graciously made the move to Great Falls to the Grandview so she could be nearer to her family. She thoroughly enjoyed her time there listening to the music, riding in the van, dining with her friends and enjoying her pretty room.
Mary is survived by her daughter, Jackie and son-in-law, Dave; granddaughter, Kerri and her husband, Loren; granddaughter, Julie and her husband, John; great grandchildren, Dillon, Jeana, David, Lori, and William; and many nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly.
Graveside services will be held at the Tony Cemetery near Luther on Saturday, September 12, 2020 at 2pm. If you would like to make a memorial in Mary’s name, please do so to the Red Lodge Senior Center at P. O Box 1293, Red Lodge, MT 59068.
To share a memory or send a condolence gift, please visit the Official Obituary of Mary Irita Riley hosted by Smith Funeral Chapel.
Events
Event information can be found on the Official Obituary of Mary Irita Riley.