Edith (Edie) Isabelle Reed Riley died February 26, 2018 in Highlands Ranch after a long battle with dementia. Edie was born on August 12, 1923 and raised in East Orange, New Jersey by her parents, Edward Everett Reed and Clarice Georgia Whitney Reed. She had one older brother, Edward. As a child, her passions were dancing, and designing clothes and sewing, embroidering, crocheting, and knitting. Upon graduation from high school she attended Rutgers University and later a Dance school in New York City. She also worked there for Security Life Insurance Company.
In 1948 she visited her brother in Denver and fell in love with his friend, Gordon Riley. She and Gordon were married on Nov 1, 1948. Shortly afterwards they moved to Butte Montana, where she had twin boys in 1950, Kent and Glen. They moved to Salt Lake in 1951 and then to Denver, where their daughter Sherrie was born in 1952 and daughter Carol in 1955. They raised their children on Zurich Court in Harvey Park, where they lived for 36 years. Edie was a very involved and wonderful mother, and loved to read and play games and picnic with her children and teach them how to cook and garden. She also volunteered for PTA, as a Cub and Girl Scouts leader, Sunday school teacher, and fundraiser for United Way, and March of Dimes. In the early 1960s, she returned to work as an actuarial analyst at Security Life in downtown Denver, where she was a beloved team leader and manager. In 1959, she helped her parents move to Denver and immensely enjoyed getting together with them and her brother until they all passed in the 1980’s.
In November of 1963, she woke one day to finding her legs had no feeling. After having major back operations, she was told she’d never walk again. However her quiet will triumphed and she was able to return to walking and driving without assistance. She was like an Everready battery that kept going and going, later overcoming breast cancer, a thyroid operation, a triple heart bypass, and even two hip operations in her 90’s.
Throughout her life she loved to swim, play bridge, and spend time with family. Later in life, she loved to travel and especially to stand on the beach and gaze at ocean. Edie retired in 1995 and she and Gordon moved to Ken Caryl Valley until she moved to Morningstar in 2012 and then to Mill Vista in 2015.
Edie’s beloved husband Gordon died in 2014. Edie is survived by her children and their spouses Glen Riley, Kent Patrick-Riley (Colleen), Sherrie Duncan (Scott), and Carol Thome (Joe), and by her grandchildren Josh, Zach, Kathreen and Patrick, and by many cousins, nephews, nieces, and friends. Her gentle kindness and smile will be achingly missed by all who knew her, and the memories of her laughter will be treasured forever.