Official Obituary of
Virgil Riley
July 25, 1918 ~ November 16, 2014 (age 96) 96 Years Old
Virgil Riley Obituary
Virgil Riley, 96, of Mt. Pleasant, died Sunday, November 16, 2014 at the Henry County Health Center in Mt. Pleasant.
A funeral service for Virgil Riley will be held at 1:30 PM on Friday, November 21 at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 North Main Street, Mount Pleasant. The Reverend Michael D. Johnson, Pastor, Church of the Open Bible of Mt. Pleasant will officiate. Burial will be in the Forest Home Cemetery, Mt. Pleasant, with a graveside military flag presentation conducted by the Henry County Honor Guard. Friends may call from 12 Noon to 9:00 PM on Thursday at the funeral home. The family will be present to receive friends from 5-7 PM Thursday evening.
Those considering an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to the family to be shared among area school sports booster programs.
Virgil Riley was born July 25, 1918 near Hillsboro, Iowa. He was the son of William R. and Sara E. (nee Sellers) Riley. He attended country schools in Jefferson County. On December 24, 1946 at the parsonage of the Church of the Nazarene, Virgil was united in marriage to Evelyn Belle Beames.
Mr. Riley served his country during WW II. He entered the United States Army On January 21, 1941 at Ft. Des Moines, Iowa. He became a radio control operator for the 80th Field artillery Battalion in the Philippines. He was honorably discharged as a Tech Sergeant on November 14, 1945 at the Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Separation Center. He returned stateside and became a carpenter for Carl Burky's Construction Company. He was involved in many aspects of carpentry, most notably the construction of the pre-fabricated homes along and north of Cedar Lane in Mt. Pleasant. Mr. Riley then took a position with the Iowa Department of Transportation. He was involved in all aspects of highway maintenance, from snow-plow and road-grader operation to right-of-way upkeep to vehicle maintenance and repair. Following his retirement from the DOT, Virgil kept busy in a home shop repairing cars and lawn mowers. He also resumed his carpentry skills for himself and several people.
While raising his sons, Mr. Riley coached Little League Baseball. He was active in volunteering for the work of the Boy Scouts and Camp Eastman. He spent many hours watching and supporting his children and grandchildren in their sports activities. In his later years, Virgil enjoyed many sports on TV.
Those thankful for sharing in Virgil's life include his wife of over 67 years, Evelyn of Mt. Pleasant; 5 sons - Lynn (Barbara) Riley of Mt. Pleasant, Lyle Riley of Wasilla, AK, Gary (Teresa) Riley of Muscatine, IA, Gregg (Cindy) Riley of Mt. Pleasant and Karl (Lynn) Riley of New London; 10 grandsons - Nick, Bill, Mike, Scott, Jeff, Jason, Josh, Brandon, Cale and Jordan Riley; 3 granddaughters - Katie Jordan, Amber Springsteen and Kelsey Riley and 18 great grandchildren;
His parents, 1 daughter-in-law, Pat Riley, 6 brothers - Wilbur, Phil, Jack, Paul, Fane and Francis Riley and 3 sisters - Bertha Conner, Nellie Conner and Virgie Riley, precede Virgil in death.
213 North Main Street
Mount Pleasant, IA, 52641
213 North Main Street
Mount Pleasant, IA, 52641
213 North Main Street
Mount Pleasant, IA, 52641
A funeral service for Virgil Riley will be held at 1:30 PM on Friday, November 21 at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 North Main Street, Mount Pleasant. The Reverend Michael D. Johnson, Pastor, Church of the Open Bible of Mt. Pleasant will officiate. Burial will be in the Forest Home Cemetery, Mt. Pleasant, with a graveside military flag presentation conducted by the Henry County Honor Guard. Friends may call from 12 Noon to 9:00 PM on Thursday at the funeral home. The family will be present to receive friends from 5-7 PM Thursday evening.
Those considering an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to the family to be shared among area school sports booster programs.
Virgil Riley was born July 25, 1918 near Hillsboro, Iowa. He was the son of William R. and Sara E. (nee Sellers) Riley. He attended country schools in Jefferson County. On December 24, 1946 at the parsonage of the Church of the Nazarene, Virgil was united in marriage to Evelyn Belle Beames.
Mr. Riley served his country during WW II. He entered the United States Army On January 21, 1941 at Ft. Des Moines, Iowa. He became a radio control operator for the 80th Field artillery Battalion in the Philippines. He was honorably discharged as a Tech Sergeant on November 14, 1945 at the Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Separation Center. He returned stateside and became a carpenter for Carl Burky's Construction Company. He was involved in many aspects of carpentry, most notably the construction of the pre-fabricated homes along and north of Cedar Lane in Mt. Pleasant. Mr. Riley then took a position with the Iowa Department of Transportation. He was involved in all aspects of highway maintenance, from snow-plow and road-grader operation to right-of-way upkeep to vehicle maintenance and repair. Following his retirement from the DOT, Virgil kept busy in a home shop repairing cars and lawn mowers. He also resumed his carpentry skills for himself and several people.
While raising his sons, Mr. Riley coached Little League Baseball. He was active in volunteering for the work of the Boy Scouts and Camp Eastman. He spent many hours watching and supporting his children and grandchildren in their sports activities. In his later years, Virgil enjoyed many sports on TV.
Those thankful for sharing in Virgil's life include his wife of over 67 years, Evelyn of Mt. Pleasant; 5 sons - Lynn (Barbara) Riley of Mt. Pleasant, Lyle Riley of Wasilla, AK, Gary (Teresa) Riley of Muscatine, IA, Gregg (Cindy) Riley of Mt. Pleasant and Karl (Lynn) Riley of New London; 10 grandsons - Nick, Bill, Mike, Scott, Jeff, Jason, Josh, Brandon, Cale and Jordan Riley; 3 granddaughters - Katie Jordan, Amber Springsteen and Kelsey Riley and 18 great grandchildren;
His parents, 1 daughter-in-law, Pat Riley, 6 brothers - Wilbur, Phil, Jack, Paul, Fane and Francis Riley and 3 sisters - Bertha Conner, Nellie Conner and Virgie Riley, precede Virgil in death.
Visitation
NOV 20. 12:00 PM - 9:00 PM (CST)
Kimzey Funeral Home213 North Main Street
Mount Pleasant, IA, 52641
Family Present to Greet Friends
NOV 20. 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (CST)
Kimzey Funeral Home213 North Main Street
Mount Pleasant, IA, 52641
Service
NOV 21. 1:30 PM (CST)
Kimzey Funeral Home213 North Main Street
Mount Pleasant, IA, 52641
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