Clifford A. RILES

RILES, DEVAULT, KREITLOW, ANDERSON, GAMBLE, MEINTS, HILL

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 5/31/2007 at 12:08:03

Sept. 26, 2002
Mason City Globe Gazette

SHEFFIELD - Clifford A. Riles, 85, of Sheffield died Tuesday (Sept. 24, 2002) at the Sheffield Care Center. Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday at Zion-St. John Lutheran Church in Sheffield, with the Rev. Kent Mechler officiating. Interment will be at Hillside Cemetery, Sheffield. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at the Garry-Roberts-Murphy-Schaaf-Grarup Funeral Home in Sheffield and one hour prior to services on Friday at the church.

Clifford A. Riles, the son of George W. and Sarah Ann (DeVault) Riles, was born Sept. 4, 1917, near Success, Ark. He attended rural schools in Clay County, Ark. In 1938 he came to Wright County, Iowa, to work for area farmers. On Oct. 23, 1940, he married June Kreitlow at Vernon Lutheran Church, rural Dows. He was baptized and confirmed at Vernon Lutheran Church. Cliff farmed near Galt and Blairsburg. In 1956 they moved to a farm east of Sheffield. June passed away Sept. 30, 1974. Cliff retired from farming in 1982. On March 21, 1982, he married Dorothy (Anderson) Gamble at Zion-St. John Lutheran Church in Sheffield. They made their home in Sheffield. Dorothy passed away Sept. 19, 1997. Cliff entered the Sheffield Care Center in November of 1998. He passed away there on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2002, at the age of 85. He was a member of Zion-St. John Lutheran Church, where he served on the church council and had been a member of the Lutheran Brotherhood. Before his retirement he had served on the board of directors of the Sheffield Farmers Cooperative and had belonged to the Sheffield Senior Citizens and enjoyed Congregate Meals. In 1986, Dorothy and Cliff received the Governor's Volunteer Award in recognition of their work for others. They also were honored by being named Outstanding Citizens for the 1987 Sourdough Day Celebration. Cliff had a life-long love for farming, enjoyed visiting with family and friends, liked to travel and was always ready to help others.

He is survived by four sons and their wives, Gary and Francis Riles, of Dougherty; Gene and Carolyn Riles, of Sheffield, Greg and Diane Riles, of Sheffield, and Grant and Melinda Riles, of Emporia, Kan.; eight grandchildren, Pam (Daren) Meints, Steven (Jeri), Kathy, Michael, Jeffery (Melanie), Tyler, Ashley and Jerry Riles; two great-grandsons, Ethan and Collin Meints; one sister, Nevada Hill, of Ashdown, Ark.; half brother, Jess (Virginia) Riles, of Hillsboro, Mo. Cliff is preceded in death by his parents; his wives, June and Dorothy; brothers, Eual, and Leo; and a half brother, Eugene. Garry-Roberts-Murphy-Schaaf-Grarup Funeral Home.