Richard Riley, Ii

Richard “Rick” Riley II, 70, passed away on Monday, May 28, 2018 at Kavanagh House Hospice. A celebration of life service will be held at noon on Thursday, May 31 at Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home & Crematory in Urbandale. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Inurnment will be at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery, and a reception will follow from 2:30-5:30 at the Veterans Reception Center in Van Meter. Rick is survived by his wife, Pam; sons, Patrick Needham, Richard “Rusty” (Marla Depew) Riley III, Matt (Summer) Riley and Josh Riley; sisters, Kate Riley, Molly (Mitch) Anderson, Margaret Riley and Megan Riley; brother, Mark (Charlotte) Riley; grandchildren, Noah, Cole and Walter and stepmom, Ruth Riley. Rick was born to Richard Riley and Betty Callan Riley on November 6, 1947 in Bremerton, Washington. As the son of a career Naval officer, Rick’s childhood, along with his five siblings, was spent in Hawaii, Bay City, MI, and Chevy Chase, MD,. In the mid-60’s, his father retired from the Navy and returned to Des Moines, Iowa. Rick graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1966 and attended Creighton University. In 1968 he and Pam Skinner of Perry, Iowa were married. Shortly after their marriage Rick spent a tour of duty in Viet Nam as a Navy Seabee. After returning from Viet Nam, Rick remained in the Naval Reserves for over 30 years. Rick enjoyed fishing, hunting, golfing, playing bridge, river rafting, long time friends and his family. In 1987, he and Pam bought 15 acres outside of Waukee, Iowa and filled up the old farmhouse with their three young sons and a variety of animals. In 2000 Rick started TRG, Inc., manufacturing a garden and shrub rake, spending the next 17 years traveling across the country for industry shows, meeting new people and enjoying the opportunity to grow the business. As their boys grew up, he and Pam took many trips to the West Coast, Arizona, to see old friends in Michigan, and enjoy the beach in Port Aransas, TX for several winters. In 2017 he was able to embark on the Freedom Flight out of Boone, Iowa to Washington, DC. It was his last big adventure. As his health declined, Rick continued to enjoy his family and long time friends. Memorial contributions may be given to the family in Rick’s name for a memorial to be decided at a later date.