Obituary of Gail Riley

Gail (Olmstead) Riley passed from this life July 17 at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing. Born December 17, 1938, she was daughter of Robert and Deldee (Thompson) Olmstead, and beloved wife of Robert Riley, who preceded her in death. She was the dear mother of 3 children, Ginny, Richard James, and Todd Charles (Cindy) Trierweiler, and grandmother to Brandon Trierweiler and Julia Ruth (Jacob) Schneider, as well as great-grandmother to Thomas, Henry, Evelynn, and Madalyn Schneider. Also surviving her are her brothers, Gary James (Michelina) and Ross Olmstead. Gail was a woman of substance and principles who lived an active and independent life. In her career, she worked to improve the lives of civil servant workers and in her volunteer work, she served as a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) in Eaton County, helping children who experienced abuse and neglect. She made her country home into a magical wonderland full of beauty and life, and Gail especially loved her dogs and cats and cared for many wild birds, her many beautiful gardens, and the koi in her ponds. She loved her many interesting friends and activities. These included reading, playing the piano, attending local theatre productions, participating as a member of the Unitarian Universalist community and, in recent years, playing bridge in local clubs. She loved reading and was a member of a book club at the Delta Library and she was a founding member of the Grove Group Investment Club. It was a joy to see Gail traveling the world in recent years, from annual trips to Colorado, to once-in-a-lifetime trips to Alaska, New York City, and the National Parks, to Cuba, Mexico, and Peru, and Friendship Force home-stay journeys to Ireland, Costa Rica, Peru, Columbia, British Columbia, and New Zealand, Gail got around! She supported various local, national, and international causes including Eaton County Animal Shelter, Public Radio/ NPR, WKAR/ PBS, Greater Lansing Food Bank, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, Capital Area Humane Society, Eaton Community Palliative Care. Siren Eaton Shelter, Michigan State University, University of Michigan, Michigan Democratic Party, Michigan Audubon, The Wild Animal Sanctuary, ACLU, Planned Parenthood, Greenpeace, Sierra Club, the Nature Conservancy, Natural Resources Defense Council, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Humane Society of the United States, the Salvation Army. Anyone who knew Gail knew she was small but mighty, a force to be reckoned with, and she will be dearly missed. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Food Bank of Greater Lansing or the ACLU, or any of her causes. Her memorial service/ celebration of life will be held virtually, to keep us all safely socially distanced, on Sunday, August 16 at 2pm ET. Any who wish to attend the live Zoom meeting may email office@uulansing.org to obtain the Zoom link. Please share a memory of Gail by signing her Guestbook.