Oberlin-Memorial services honoring the life of James “Jim” E. Riley, 98, will be held at 1 o’clock p.m. on Thursday December 28, 2023, at Ardoin/Allen Parish Funeral Home of Oberlin. Rev. Fr. Pradeep Gali will officiate, and family friend Steve Manuel will deliver Jim’s eulogy. Private family services will be held at Consolata Cemetery. Jim will be laid to rest with full military honors.

Jim’s family will receive friends and visitors at Ardoin/Allen Parish Funeral Home of Oberlin on Thursday, December 28, 2023, from 10 o’clock a.m. until time of service. All Jim’s arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Ardoin/Allen Parish Funeral Home of Oberlin.

James, affectionately called “Jim” by all who knew him, was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend. He was born in Chico, CA in March of 1925 to the union of Leo and Ann Riley. Mr. and Mrs. Riley would move to Colusa, CA, where they would raise Jim. He was a faithful and devoted husband to his first wife and the mother of his three sons, Mary Ann Riley as well as his second wife Mary Bearden. He attended and graduated at Loyola University in New Orleans where he earned his degree in Pharmacy. James was a faithful member of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Oberlin where he attended church regularly. He was a proud World War ll veteran where he served our country in the United States Marine Corps. Jim owned Riley’s Pharmacy in Oberlin for 40 years. He was a pillar of the community and assisted in the founding of First Federal Savings and Loan of Allen Parish in Oakdale. He was very involved in many aspects of his community. He loved to visit with friends and family and was famous for his St. Patrick’s Day parties that he hosted at his pharmacy and at his camp on the Ouiska Chitto river. Jim was a family man and cherished every moment he spent with his family. He was an exceptional kind and caring person and will be forever missed and unconditionally loved by all who knew him.

Those left to cherish Jim’s memory include his two sons, Dr. Neil Riley and wife Angie of Florence, SC, and John Riley and wife Kellie of Orange, TX; daughter in law, Becky Riley DesOrmeaux and husband David of Lake Charles; two sisters, Maureen Waterhouse of Carson City, NV, and Sister Patricia Riley, C.S.C. of Notre Dame, IN; nine grandchildren, Jonathan Kellis, Dacey Harms, Dr. Katie Williams, James Riley lll, Jonathan, Lee, Mary Ann, and Patrick Riley; and seven great grandchildren, Gray Williams, Riley Williams, Reaux Stevenson, and Brooks, Santos, Daviney, and Diana Riley

Jim is preceded in death by his parents, Leo and Ann Riley; first wife, Mary Ann Riley; second wife, Mary Bearden Riley; one son, James “Jim” E. Riley Jr .; and one brother, Robert Riley.

Jim’s family would like to extend a very special thank you to Cindy and Frank Fontenot, Renee Erwin, as well as many other friends for their love and support throughout the years.

Condolences and words of comfort may be expressed to James’s family at http://www.ardoinfuneralhome.com or our Facebook page at Ardoin/Allen Parish Funeral Homes.