Donald A. Riley, 78

Donald A. Riley, 78, died Sunday, March 20, 2011, at the Montana Veterans Home in Columbia Falls due to complications of Lewy body dementia and cancer.

He was born July 2, 1932, in Bemidji, Minn.

He moved to Columbia Falls in 1973 after retiring from the U.S. Air Force. He joined the Air Force in 1952 at the age of 20, embarking on a life of world travel and adventure taking him to Korea, Taiwan, the Middle East and Europe.

In March 1956 he married Anna Strowbridge. They had two children, Robert, who preceded him in death in 1991, and Cynthia.

After retiring from the military, Donald worked at Plum Creek and later as a carpenter and electrician. As an avid outdoorsman, he found his greatest joy hunting and especially fishing, and generously sharing his catch with friends and family.

His loving and caring nature made him beloved, respected and thought of as a father figure by many who had the honor of knowing him.

He is survived by his wife, Anna, of 55 years; his daughter, Cynthia Riley Augé, of Whitefish; two grandsons, Peter Newbury and Riley Andrew Workman; a granddaughter-in-law, Bobbie Newbury; and two great-granddaughters, Isabeau and Alora Newbury, all of Whitefish; five brothers and two sisters; and numerous nieces and nephews. 

He was preceded in death by his parents, and one brother.

Visitation will be from 2 to 5 p.m., Friday, March 25, at the Columbia Mortuary in Columbia Falls.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 26, at the Columbia Mortuary in Columbia Falls. Burial with military honors will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery. A reception for family and friends will follow at North Valley Senior Center on Nucleus Avenue in Columbia Falls.