Gerald Lee Riley

Gerald Riley Jr., 45, of Alma and formerly of Mt. Pleasant passed away unexpectedly Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009, at Gratiot Medical Center in Alma. His funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 9, at Alma Church of the Nazarene with Pastor Bob Mitchell officiating. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery in Alma. The family will receive friends at the Charles R. Lux Family Funeral Home, 2300 S. Lincoln Rd., on Sunday from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Visitation continues at the church on Monday one hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the family. Envelopes are available at the funeral home. Gerald was born Dec. 7, 1963, in Mt. Pleasant, the son of Gerald Lee and Josephine Jo (Kennedy) Riley Sr. A graduate of Mt. Pleasant High School in 1982, Gerald married Heidi Switzer on March 9, 1996, at Alma Church of the Nazarene. He was employed by Meijer as a sales clerk the past 15 years. Prior to that, he had worked at Clines in downtown Mt. Pleasant. Some of his favorite pastimes were fishing, bike riding, and photography. But the most important thing in his life was spending time with his wife and three sons. Gerald is survived by his wife, Heidi of Alma; three sons, Kenneth, David, and Stephen, all at home; his mother, Josephine Jo Riley of Mt. Pleasant; brother, James (Tara) Riley of Winn; half-brother, Shawn Riley of Gainsboro TN; half-sister, Angie Smith of Mt. Pleasant; sister-in-law, Kim (Scott) Riley-McClernan of Hesperia; five nephews; one great-nephew and one great-niece. He was preceded in death by his father, Gerald; brother, John; and grandparents, William James Riley, Mary Louise Riley, Glen Kennedy, and Virgil Durham.