March 22 1932 September 1 2019
Joseph D. Riley Jr., Colonel, USAF (Retired) March 22, 1932 – September 1, 2019 Joseph D. Riley, Jr., Colonel, USAF (Retired), age 87, of Portsmouth, NH and formerly of Bedford, died September 1, 2019. He was the son of the late Joseph D. and Madeline (Courtney) Riley and was raised in the Neponset neighborhood of Dorchester. In 1954, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he began his career as a crew chief, attended the Armed Forces Staff College and eventually rose to the level of full Colonel. During his military career, Joe and his young family moved multiple times. In 1969, he was stationed in Vietnam for a year during the war flying reconnaissance. The Riley family also lived in Germany for three years while Joe was stationed there. His last assignment in 1975 brought him to Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, MA where his career ended in 1979. He chose retirement rather than relocate his family again. After his retirement, he worked for many years at GTE (General Telephone and Electronics Corp), as a Program Director. For nearly 25 years, he was able to spend the winters at his home in Florida and return in the summer to enjoy time in Hull. He was very athletic and active, during his youth, playing baseball at a very high level later playing for USAF team. Joe also loved to golf, his home in Florida was surrounded by two golf courses. Above all, Joe loved his children and grandchildren. He was the beloved husband of the late Margaret A. (Murphy) Riley, father of the late Michael Riley and brother of the late Robert and John J. Riley. He leaves his loving children, Kathleen Shaw of Lowell, Ann Marie Riley of Portland, ME, Steven Riley and his wife Claudia of Portland, OR and Susan Mabbett and her husband Lane of Milford, NH, cherished grandchildren Courtney Burke, Joseph, Shea and Timothy Allen, Madelene and Cameron Riley and Olivia and Parker Mabbett and great grandchildren, Hailey and Dallas. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at St. Michael Church, 90 Concord Rd., Bedford, on Tuesday, September 10, at 10:00 AM. Burial at Shawsheen Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, Kansas 66675 or DAV, Attn: Gift Processing, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Joseph D Riley Jr Colonel USAF Retired March 22 1932 September 1 2019.
Death notice for the town of: Bedford, state: Massachusetts