William Riley

William Pomeroy Riley, Jr., (CDR, USN Ret.) died at home on July 29, 2016. Born in Rochester, NY on November 20, 1920, he was the youngest child of William Pomeroy Riley, Sr. and Stella Francis Davis Riley with three sisters, Virginia (Edelman), Joanne (Kaiser), and Marie (Olson). The 46 year marriage of Bill and Les (Lesso) Corlett celebrated on January 20, 1945 in Grand Prairie, Texas ended with Les’ death in Dillon, MT on June 22, 2001. Bill is survived by their four children; Barbara Riley of Santa Fe, NM, William Pomeroy Riley, Jr., of Dillon, MT, Mark Christopher Riley and his wife Susan Chaney Riley of Nokesville, VA, Robert Richard Riley and his wife Constance Miller Riley of Dillon, MT. He was the loving grandfather of five children and great –grandfather of four children. Bill and his father loved airplanes and flying. They took flight instruction together in the 1930’s with Bill soloing and qualifying for his Pilot’s License at 16. He attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, VA for their inclusion of flight instruction in their curriculum. He was commissioned into the US Navy in 1946 initially training pilots and then assigned to squadrons flying from aircraft carriers USS Roosevelt, USS Midway, USS Philippine Sea and the USS Randolph over his 25-year service as a Naval officer. Retirement from the Navy was beginning of many explorations with Les that included 7 years in St. Croix USVI, opening a quilting shop, Liberty Station, in Culpepper VA, restoring a historic Greek Revival Inn, Hamilton House, in Hamilton, NC. Moving to Montana 20 years ago, they made their home in Dillon.