Mary Riley

Mary J. "Janie" Riley, of Westminster, Colorado passed away on October 6, 2020.

Janie began her amazing and marvelous journey through life in a small Missouri town.  As the daughter of a law enforcement officer and a school teacher she along with her sister learned the value of hard work, self-discipline, honor, honesty, service to others and duty to country.  In addition to being an outstanding student she was an active member of the Girl Scouts ultimately serving as a camp counselor for multiple summers in the mountains of Wyoming.  Janie often said that this role provided her with the best foundation of any of her youthful experiences for her later vast and enormously significant leadership responsibilities.

Loving the state of Missouri, she remained there during her college years completing a four-year curriculum in seven semesters.  Janie’s major in college was unusual for a girl in the 1960’s:  mathematics.  Of course, she excelled in her studies but in addition met her future husband with whom she would bring into the world four wonderful children:  three girls and a boy.   Their character and achievements were a basic joy of Janie’s life.  She was especially proud that each of them became university graduates with one or more degrees.

Just as Janie delighted in the many successes and achievements of her children, she did the same for her four granddaughters on whom she devoted love, time and attention.  She made certain to visit them no less than once a year despite the vast distances that had to be traveled to accomplish this.

Janie later took on the responsibilities of a step-Mom and helped raise, teach, instruct, protect and love the two sons of the man she married at the end of the 20th century.  With her loving but strict guidance they have also become estimable young men with university degrees.  From this second family has come two additional grandbabies upon whom Janie showered her limitless love.

For more than twenty years she shared her life with the man who was able to convince her that he could be a loving partner overlooking his clumsy efforts at wooing her.  Despite her enormously heavy work responsibilities she and he engaged in many travels, projects, common interests, and built a life together.  The American Civil War become of great interest to both Janie and her husband.  She merged her increasingly focused genealogy explorations into her ancestor’s role in that great War eventually writing a book on the subject.  Her husband, a political science professor and closet historian, rounded out their fascination with an academic’s perspective.  Over the years more than twenty battlefields were visited.  Maps of every one of them was collected or prepared by Janie and placed on the walls of her office.  Her hope of teaching a course on the Civil War was cut short by the terrible cancer that took her from us.

All the while she was making a life for herself and her husband, laying the foundations for her four children and two step children, Janie engaged in a career that produced not only professional success for herself but she was at the forefront of profoundly changing medical treatment procedures in this country.  While working with one of the best-known high-tech companies on the planet, Janie headed a team that developed electronic medical records systems for one of the nation’s most innovative and largest medical services organization.  This was just the beginning of a twenty-year career providing services to medical providers of various types ultimately leading to her managing almost five-hundred individuals spread around the globe.

In retirement Janie again focused on service to others through her involvement with her church and women’s educational advancement.   Janie volunteered in her church's office where she was the Church Administrator's secret weapon. Her knowledge of data systems and accounting far exceeded her nominal responsibilities to the church office, but she was always willing to modestly lend her knowledge and her time.  In 2019, Janie was ordained as Presbyterian ruling elder. She immediately took the reins as Vice President of the Corporation where she chaired both the Stewardship Campaign and Personnel Committee, leading to multiple successful hires. This past year, Janie was elected President of the Corporation. She partnered with the Pastor to steer the church through the challenges of COVID-19, including painstakingly applying for a PPP loan on behalf of the church, saving the church tens of thousands of dollars.   Janie was a curious learner. Even in her illness, she would regularly call the pastor with questions on her mind about scripture, Reformed theology, and church history.  But most of all, Janie was a quiet giver. She worked behind the scenes, pouring her time and talent into the ministry of the church while avoiding recognition. She believed deeply that all have a responsibility as Christ's church to be the body of Christ for our neighbors and not only for ourselves. She lived this commitment with passion, service and abiding love.

The relentless disease that took Janie from us shortened a life so very well lived.  We miss you so very much!

A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, October 29, 2020 at 11am. Due to Covid restrictions, services will be live-streamed. Please click on the following link to participate in Janie's services: https://bxcited.com/janieriley/

Janie will be laid to rest at Miriam Cemetery in Bethany, Missouri.

As did her grandmothers almost a hundred years ago, Janie became much involved in a women's organization known as P.E.O.  Upon joining Janie immediately volunteered for the Education Committee. She enthusiastically helped with interviewing scholarship candidates, led application processes for awarding women loans and grants, and assisted with putting together care packages for scholarship recipients attending college.  She quickly became a beloved member of her chapter. Jane’s love of learning and service to others were hallmarks of her life. Whether it was presenting a program about an educational project, attending an outing to a museum or helping a sister in need, Jane was there finding joy and fulfillment in these experiences. We will miss her gentle, kind demeanor and her loving nature. Despite being small in stature, her presence had a large impact on all those whose lives she touched. She will be deeply missed by her P.E.O. sisters.  The P.E.O. Colorado Chapter HX has created a scholarship fund in Janie's name for memorial donations in lieu of flowers. Checks may be made to: P.E.O. Colorado Chapter HX Fund with the memo line reading Jane Riley Scholarship and mailed to 10973 N. Yates Court, Westminster, Colorado 80031 or donations may be made online via a Go Fund Go page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/jane-riley-scholarship-fund

In addition to donations made to P.E.O, memorials may also made in Janie's name to: Westminster Presbyterian Church (3990 W. 74th Ave | Westminster, CO 80030-4709) and Girl Scouts (2300 Ball Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146).

Please share memories of Janie and condolences with her family by signing the tribute wall above.