John Riley III Obituary

John (Jack) Clement Riley III was born on March 28, 1936, in Augusta, GA, to John C. Riley, Jr. and Kathleen Cuningham Riley. The family moved to Texas soon after his birth. He was a Texan at heart – having graduated from high school in Houston, from college at the University of Texas at Austin and from medical school at the University of Texas at Galveston. But having spent the better part of his adult life on Vail’s ski slopes, his Texas roots would have come as a surprise to anyone watching him descend Prima-Pronto with perfect style.

After graduating from medical school, Jack headed to Seattle for his medical internship. Soon thereafter he was drafted by the U.S. Air Force and sent to Japan as a Medical Captain. Always looking for personal improvement, he took the two-year stint as an opportunity to not only improve his medical skills but also to learn Japanese – a skill he’d enjoy surprising people with at Japanese restaurants in his later life.

He completed his military service in San Francisco – and those who knew him well could vouch for him truly having left part of his heart there! After a three-year residency in Dallas, Jack headed for Colorado, drawn by the strong pull of the mountains and the sport he would come to master – skiing.

Shortly after settling in Colorado, Jack met Nancy Blue at a Denver tennis club. The two shared a love for sports and a competitive streak. Six months later, they were married… and honeymooned in San Francisco! A year later, their daughter Jennifer was born, and another daughter Darcy arrived four years later.

Jack worked for more than 40 years as a radiologist, specializing in neuro radiology. He was a member of Radiology Imaging Associates, practicing at several Denver area hospitals including Swedish, Porter, Littleton, Aurora – and, drawn by the skiing, in Aspen for a few years. He was active in multiple medical societies and organizations and became a fellow in the American College of Radiology.

His love for skiing was rivaled by his passion for both cycling and golf after the snow melted - although cycling in the Colorado mountains did find him pedaling through a few July snowstorms. He was a regular participant in Ride the Rockies – and was accompanied a few times by Nancy and Jennifer. The family took yearly trips to Mexico, where Jack took the opportunity to improve his Spanish-language skills and to encourage his daughters to do the same. These trips sparked both daughters’ love for foreign languages and travel.

Jack is survived by his wife, Nancy Blue Riley; his two daughters Jennifer Riley Chetwynd (Josh Chetwynd) and Darcy Blue Riley; and five grandchildren: Jonah Kane, Miller Chetwynd, Marcelo Pierce, Rebecca Chetwynd and Lola Pierce.

Services will be held at Washington Park United Methodist Church on Monday, February 16, at 10:30 a.m.