Larry Eugene Riley (76) of Effingham

Larry Eugene Riley, 76, of Effingham, IL, passed to his eternal life on Saturday, March 17, 2018 at HSHS St. John’s Hospital in Springfield.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, March 24 at the First Baptist Church of Altamont. Burial will be in Woodlawn Cemetery in Effingham, with military honors. Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday at Johnson Funeral Home in Effingham and one hour prior to the service Saturday at the church. Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church of Altamont, The Gideons International, or Illinois Campers On Mission.

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Larry Eugene was born on May 31, 1941, in Effingham County, IL, the son of Wade Brackett and Lois Faye (Moore) Riley. He attended high school in Wilmington, IL, where he met his future wife, Linda Louise Cummins. In high school he was active in band, track, and basketball. He and Linda were married on May 7, 1960, while he was in the United States Navy where he worked as an aviation hydraulic metalsmith. During his time in the Navy he traveled to every ocean and saw many foreign countries. He retired in 1979 as a chief, last stationed at NAS Moffet Field in San Jose, California. Larry enjoyed hunting, fishing, and ham radio operation. He was an avid saxophone and clarinet player his entire life. He also enjoyed working with Campers On Mission, repairing and working in various churches and faith related places, getting them more presentable and efficient. He was also a Gideon. He was an active member of First Baptist Church of Altamont, having served as a deacon and a Sunday School teacher. Larry was a veteran of the Vietnam War having served in the Gulf of Tonkin, aboard the USS Ticonderoga, at the start of the US involvement in the conflict. After his years in the Navy he also worked at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Effingham and was a barber at his own His n Her Hair Shop in Effingham. He will be sorely missed by his family and many friends.

Larry is survived by his wife, Linda Riley of Effingham; children, Michael (Marlene) Riley of Carbondale, Mark (Teresa) Riley of Effingham, Pamella (David) Hirtzel of Effingham, and Patricia (Stan) Childress of Altamont;  grandchildren, Timothy Riley, Lorenzo Riley, Josaphine (John) Westendorf, Philip Riley, Brenden Riley, Daniel Hirtzel, Kristian Hirtzel, Jeremy Hirtzel, and Chelsey Childress; great-grandchildren, Julie Grace Westendorf, June Reilly Westendorf, and Olivia Riley; brother, Donald Riley of Silver City, NM; and sister, Cheryl (Larry) Woods of Sarasota, FL; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Wade (1918-2007) and Lois (1921-1999).