Mary Ann Riley

Mary Ann Bonney Riley, 95, died Thursday, February 16, 2023 at Anderson Regional Medical Center in Meridian.  She lived in her beloved home in Meridian until the day she died.

Visitation will be at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Enterprise, MS at 10 am on Friday, February 24.  A Graveside Service will follow at Enterprise Cemetery at 11 am.

A native of Enterprise, Mississippi, Mrs. Riley was a graduate of Enterprise High School and the University of Alabama.  She taught 4th and 5th grade at Stevenson Elementary School in Meridian in the 1950s.  She had a lifelong interest in education and maintained close ties with many of her former students over many decades.  She was also involved with her family’s tree farm in Clarke and Wayne Counties, MS.  In her later years, she treasured her work as a director of The Riley Foundation in Meridian.

Mrs. Riley was preceded in death by her husband, Richard F. Riley MD, by her parents, Walter Bonney and Rosa Del Bueno Bonney, and by her sister Rosa Bonney Brooks and brother Dr. Walter Bonney Jr.

Mrs. Riley’s survivors include her daughter Ann Riley Dennis of Plano, Texas and her husband Patrick Dennis; son Richard F. Riley Jr. of Charlottesville, Virginia and his wife Margaret Riley; grandchildren Bonney Burnett, Beth Foster, Michael Foster and Jack Riley; great granddaughter Annie Burnett; nieces Allen Brooks Chamberlain, Amy Bonney Hoffman, Harriet Riley and Beth Hendrix; nephew Gail Riley; great nieces Evie Chamberlain, Clare Garvin, Riley Pickett, Hannah Pickett and Ellie Riley; and great nephews Will Canzoneri, Philip Riley and Andrew Hoffman.

The devoted and skillful care by LaTonya Wells, Bessie Pruitt, LoBell Moore and John Lewis comforted Mrs. Riley in her final years.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Meridian Community College Foundation in support of the Mary Ann Bonney Riley Elementary Education Scholarship or the Richard F. Riley MD Nursing Scholarship; to First Presbyterian Church of Meridian, P.O. Box 470, Meridian, MS 39302; or to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 177, Enterprise, MS 39330.