Mrs.
Mrs. Mary Riley
d. June 25, 2016
Mary "Marie" Riley, age 89, of Broomall, PA
Beloved wife of the late Bert Riley. Loving mother of Susan Riley Schalcher (Bruce) and Karen Riley Davis (Russell). Dear grandmother of Erika Kay Gallagher (Eamon) and Nikolas Davis (Amber). Great grandmother of Ainsley Riley Gallagher.
Mary "Marie" Riley was born in 1927 to two cotton mill workers in northern England. She grew up in Victorian terrace housing, a traditional two up-two down, with an outhouse. Marie was an only child. She met her husband, Bert, during the war and they were married in 1950. It took her family more than a month to save up their rations of butter and sugar in order to make the wedding cake. She raised two daughters in England before relocating 3,000 miles away from everything she knew with her family to Philadelphia in 1968. Marie was a trained couturier seamstress who worked as a wedding dress maker and shop girl. In the United States she opened, ran, and subsequently closed two dress shops, retiring to work on smaller more personal projects and to help care for her young granddaughter, Erika.
Marie was not a fearless woman, she was plagued by anxiety her entire life, but she was brave. She was one of the most creative people you would have ever met. She could sew anything, draw anything, and was a fantastic knitter. She could whistle and/or sing just about any tune she had ever heard. She loved to read mysteries and thrillers from the library even though they sometimes scared her. She loved to travel, she loved the beach, and she loved animals, all animals, most especially cats.
She lost her husband in 2003 and in 2006 suffered a stroke, causing the onset of vascular dementia. The disease robbed her of her abilities, her home and independence, and her memories. But never of her stubbornness or her sweet tooth (or love of tea). She died June 25th 2016, aged 89. She will forever be missed.
Beloved wife of the late Bert Riley. Loving mother of Susan Riley Schalcher (Bruce) and Karen Riley Davis (Russell). Dear grandmother of Erika Kay Gallagher (Eamon) and Nikolas Davis (Amber). Great grandmother of Ainsley Riley Gallagher.
Mary "Marie" Riley was born in 1927 to two cotton mill workers in northern England. She grew up in Victorian terrace housing, a traditional two up-two down, with an outhouse. Marie was an only child. She met her husband, Bert, during the war and they were married in 1950. It took her family more than a month to save up their rations of butter and sugar in order to make the wedding cake. She raised two daughters in England before relocating 3,000 miles away from everything she knew with her family to Philadelphia in 1968. Marie was a trained couturier seamstress who worked as a wedding dress maker and shop girl. In the United States she opened, ran, and subsequently closed two dress shops, retiring to work on smaller more personal projects and to help care for her young granddaughter, Erika.
Marie was not a fearless woman, she was plagued by anxiety her entire life, but she was brave. She was one of the most creative people you would have ever met. She could sew anything, draw anything, and was a fantastic knitter. She could whistle and/or sing just about any tune she had ever heard. She loved to read mysteries and thrillers from the library even though they sometimes scared her. She loved to travel, she loved the beach, and she loved animals, all animals, most especially cats.
She lost her husband in 2003 and in 2006 suffered a stroke, causing the onset of vascular dementia. The disease robbed her of her abilities, her home and independence, and her memories. But never of her stubbornness or her sweet tooth (or love of tea). She died June 25th 2016, aged 89. She will forever be missed.
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