1926
Mary
2011
Mary Riley
April 14, 1926 — September 5, 2011
Mrs. Mary Elizabeth DeLay Riley (also known as Mamew, Granna, Ma, and Aunt Mary), 85, of Frederick, MD, passed away suddenly but peacefully on Monday, September 5, 2011 at Frederick Memorial Hospital.
Mary was born on April 14, 1926 in Cherokee County, GA to the late Otis and Katie Mae Durham DeLay. Mary was one of thirteen children. Ten brothers and sisters preceded her in death (Nellie, James, Clarence, Durham, Harold, Otis Jr., Catherine, Ruth, and infant twins). She was educated in the Cobb County School system, worked on her family’s farm, served as a domestic, and later worked at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, GA. Mary dedicated much of her life to homemaking. She faithfully cared for those around her, often sacrificing her own needs and desires to meet and fulfill those of her family and friends.
Mary accepted Christ as her savior at an early age and was baptized into membership at the New Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Powder Springs, GA . She later became a member of Landover Memorial Baptist Church in Landover, MD. Her faith in God was strong. It sustained her through many trials and was a source of great encouragement and joy for her.
Mary was an incredible southern cook. She also loved nature and enjoyed feeding and watching the array of birds that visited the back yard of her Frederick, MD home. She loved to spend time sitting outside talking with her wonderful neighbors. Mary was an engaging storyteller and spoke often of her early years in the country as well as of her family and friends in Georgia. She will be remembered for her candid sense of humor, her warmth, and her ability to make everyone she was with feel right at home -- just like family.
Mary is survived by her husband of over 30 years, Ronald E. Riley, one daughter, Ashley M. Philemon, son-in-law, Guy Philemon, Jr., two grandchildren, Guy III and Brook Philemon. Her surviving siblings are William DeLay of Chicago, IL and Joseph DeLay of Atlanta, GA. She is also survived by her daughter-in-law, Vicky Choice Smith, and two other grandchildren, Victoria (Katie) and William (Billy) Smith. Mary will be deeply missed by a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends, many of whom she helped raise. She loved them all as her own, including Michael W. Smith, Janice Lipscomb, the late Harvey L. Smith, Willa J. Love, and Donna Williams. She will be especially missed by her dear friend, Gertrude Swift, with whom she spent the last conscious moments of her life.
The family will receive friends at the Stauffer Funeral Home, 1621 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick on Monday, September 12, 2011 from 10AM to 11AM with services beginning at 11AM. Mary’s nephew -- the Reverend Dexter O. Rowland, senior pastor of the New Piney Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Decatur, GA -- will officiate.
Mary was born on April 14, 1926 in Cherokee County, GA to the late Otis and Katie Mae Durham DeLay. Mary was one of thirteen children. Ten brothers and sisters preceded her in death (Nellie, James, Clarence, Durham, Harold, Otis Jr., Catherine, Ruth, and infant twins). She was educated in the Cobb County School system, worked on her family’s farm, served as a domestic, and later worked at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, GA. Mary dedicated much of her life to homemaking. She faithfully cared for those around her, often sacrificing her own needs and desires to meet and fulfill those of her family and friends.
Mary accepted Christ as her savior at an early age and was baptized into membership at the New Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Powder Springs, GA . She later became a member of Landover Memorial Baptist Church in Landover, MD. Her faith in God was strong. It sustained her through many trials and was a source of great encouragement and joy for her.
Mary was an incredible southern cook. She also loved nature and enjoyed feeding and watching the array of birds that visited the back yard of her Frederick, MD home. She loved to spend time sitting outside talking with her wonderful neighbors. Mary was an engaging storyteller and spoke often of her early years in the country as well as of her family and friends in Georgia. She will be remembered for her candid sense of humor, her warmth, and her ability to make everyone she was with feel right at home -- just like family.
Mary is survived by her husband of over 30 years, Ronald E. Riley, one daughter, Ashley M. Philemon, son-in-law, Guy Philemon, Jr., two grandchildren, Guy III and Brook Philemon. Her surviving siblings are William DeLay of Chicago, IL and Joseph DeLay of Atlanta, GA. She is also survived by her daughter-in-law, Vicky Choice Smith, and two other grandchildren, Victoria (Katie) and William (Billy) Smith. Mary will be deeply missed by a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends, many of whom she helped raise. She loved them all as her own, including Michael W. Smith, Janice Lipscomb, the late Harvey L. Smith, Willa J. Love, and Donna Williams. She will be especially missed by her dear friend, Gertrude Swift, with whom she spent the last conscious moments of her life.
The family will receive friends at the Stauffer Funeral Home, 1621 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick on Monday, September 12, 2011 from 10AM to 11AM with services beginning at 11AM. Mary’s nephew -- the Reverend Dexter O. Rowland, senior pastor of the New Piney Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Decatur, GA -- will officiate.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Mary Riley, please visit our flower store.