An extraordinary man moved on to heaven recently - Jay Riley, friend of everyone and kind-hearted helper to many. Jay was born James William Riley on Jan. 21, 1951. He was a cub and boy scout, a feisty football player at Mira Costa High in Manhattan Beach Calif. and studied criminal justice at El Camino College in Torrance Calif. But in high school, back in 1969, partying was the theme of his life. That changed one day when he picked up a most unusual hitch-hiker, a young man carrying a full bag of groceries who had an elderly lady in tow. He was helping her get home with her groceries. Jay picked up the young man, the lady, and Jesus got into the car, too.
The young man told Jay about the overwhelming love of Jesus who cares for all, and about all. Jay saw love in action that day. He went with the young man to a Jesus Movement church in Redondo Beach called Bethel Tabernacle. There Jay met Jesus and they became friends for over 50 years.
I met Jay a few years later when I had my own come to Jesus moment that lasted a lifetime. We got married on August 12, 1973, a Sunday morning in the middle of a church service because we wanted to help build a new church building instead of putting on a big wedding.
Jay became a pastor for many years, finishing up at Living Word Fellowship... 2424 Moreton, in Torrance. He was not a CEO type of pastor, more of a shepherd, a big brother, a friend in good times and bad.
He was the kind of pastor who sat with dying people for days, went with people to their court appearances, stood up to abusive spouses while helping someone move out, helped the homeless by dining with them or taking them to do their laundry or to their medical visits. He loved missions and paid for a well project for AidChild in Uganda. He funded and visited many other sites like orphanages and leper homes in India and Mexico. We were foster parents for 30 years and adopted 8 children. He wanted to adopt more but I said 8 really is enough.
In 2004, God led us to move to beautiful Prescott Ariz, from our home in Palos Verdes. We bought the great big white house at the corner of Glenshandra and Williamson Valley Road. That house hosted parties, fund-raisers, prayer meetings, a home church. We made it a bed and breakfast, free for pastors and missionaries and life changing for many of our regular guests who often encountered God around the fireplace or the breakfast table. We also directed the Prescott Healing Rooms there for several years and saw many people healed.If Jay ever met you, your name ended up on his prayer list, which was pages long. He spent hours a day in the prayer room and saw miracles. He wasn't perfect. He drove like Mr. Magoo and collected guns as if zombies might come calling any minute. But he had one great accomplishment: in spite of how messy and mean this world can be, he learned to love.
All this time, he suffered greatly in a painful body that never did work right. Finally, he was in enough pain and mental confusion, that it became a blessing to shed that old body and go home to Jesus. December 20, 2019 was his first day in heaven, free of pain, sickness, struggles, and sadness. His dogs gone before ran to greet him, along with his family and friends already there, and his good friend, Jesus, gave him a very warm welcome, no doubt. It was the happiest day of his life and the saddest of mine.
Obit from The Daily Courier, Prescott Arizona.
The young man told Jay about the overwhelming love of Jesus who cares for all, and about all. Jay saw love in action that day. He went with the young man to a Jesus Movement church in Redondo Beach called Bethel Tabernacle. There Jay met Jesus and they became friends for over 50 years.
I met Jay a few years later when I had my own come to Jesus moment that lasted a lifetime. We got married on August 12, 1973, a Sunday morning in the middle of a church service because we wanted to help build a new church building instead of putting on a big wedding.
Jay became a pastor for many years, finishing up at Living Word Fellowship... 2424 Moreton, in Torrance. He was not a CEO type of pastor, more of a shepherd, a big brother, a friend in good times and bad.
He was the kind of pastor who sat with dying people for days, went with people to their court appearances, stood up to abusive spouses while helping someone move out, helped the homeless by dining with them or taking them to do their laundry or to their medical visits. He loved missions and paid for a well project for AidChild in Uganda. He funded and visited many other sites like orphanages and leper homes in India and Mexico. We were foster parents for 30 years and adopted 8 children. He wanted to adopt more but I said 8 really is enough.
In 2004, God led us to move to beautiful Prescott Ariz, from our home in Palos Verdes. We bought the great big white house at the corner of Glenshandra and Williamson Valley Road. That house hosted parties, fund-raisers, prayer meetings, a home church. We made it a bed and breakfast, free for pastors and missionaries and life changing for many of our regular guests who often encountered God around the fireplace or the breakfast table. We also directed the Prescott Healing Rooms there for several years and saw many people healed.If Jay ever met you, your name ended up on his prayer list, which was pages long. He spent hours a day in the prayer room and saw miracles. He wasn't perfect. He drove like Mr. Magoo and collected guns as if zombies might come calling any minute. But he had one great accomplishment: in spite of how messy and mean this world can be, he learned to love.
All this time, he suffered greatly in a painful body that never did work right. Finally, he was in enough pain and mental confusion, that it became a blessing to shed that old body and go home to Jesus. December 20, 2019 was his first day in heaven, free of pain, sickness, struggles, and sadness. His dogs gone before ran to greet him, along with his family and friends already there, and his good friend, Jesus, gave him a very warm welcome, no doubt. It was the happiest day of his life and the saddest of mine.
Obit from The Daily Courier, Prescott Arizona.
An extraordinary man moved on to heaven recently - Jay Riley, friend of everyone and kind-hearted helper to many. Jay was born James William Riley on Jan. 21, 1951. He was a cub and boy scout, a feisty football player at Mira Costa High in Manhattan Beach Calif. and studied criminal justice at El Camino College in Torrance Calif. But in high school, back in 1969, partying was the theme of his life. That changed one day when he picked up a most unusual hitch-hiker, a young man carrying a full bag of groceries who had an elderly lady in tow. He was helping her get home with her groceries. Jay picked up the young man, the lady, and Jesus got into the car, too.
The young man told Jay about the overwhelming love of Jesus who cares for all, and about all. Jay saw love in action that day. He went with the young man to a Jesus Movement church in Redondo Beach called Bethel Tabernacle. There Jay met Jesus and they became friends for over 50 years.
I met Jay a few years later when I had my own come to Jesus moment that lasted a lifetime. We got married on August 12, 1973, a Sunday morning in the middle of a church service because we wanted to help build a new church building instead of putting on a big wedding.
Jay became a pastor for many years, finishing up at Living Word Fellowship... 2424 Moreton, in Torrance. He was not a CEO type of pastor, more of a shepherd, a big brother, a friend in good times and bad.
He was the kind of pastor who sat with dying people for days, went with people to their court appearances, stood up to abusive spouses while helping someone move out, helped the homeless by dining with them or taking them to do their laundry or to their medical visits. He loved missions and paid for a well project for AidChild in Uganda. He funded and visited many other sites like orphanages and leper homes in India and Mexico. We were foster parents for 30 years and adopted 8 children. He wanted to adopt more but I said 8 really is enough.
In 2004, God led us to move to beautiful Prescott Ariz, from our home in Palos Verdes. We bought the great big white house at the corner of Glenshandra and Williamson Valley Road. That house hosted parties, fund-raisers, prayer meetings, a home church. We made it a bed and breakfast, free for pastors and missionaries and life changing for many of our regular guests who often encountered God around the fireplace or the breakfast table. We also directed the Prescott Healing Rooms there for several years and saw many people healed.If Jay ever met you, your name ended up on his prayer list, which was pages long. He spent hours a day in the prayer room and saw miracles. He wasn't perfect. He drove like Mr. Magoo and collected guns as if zombies might come calling any minute. But he had one great accomplishment: in spite of how messy and mean this world can be, he learned to love.
All this time, he suffered greatly in a painful body that never did work right. Finally, he was in enough pain and mental confusion, that it became a blessing to shed that old body and go home to Jesus. December 20, 2019 was his first day in heaven, free of pain, sickness, struggles, and sadness. His dogs gone before ran to greet him, along with his family and friends already there, and his good friend, Jesus, gave him a very warm welcome, no doubt. It was the happiest day of his life and the saddest of mine.
Obit from The Daily Courier, Prescott Arizona.
The young man told Jay about the overwhelming love of Jesus who cares for all, and about all. Jay saw love in action that day. He went with the young man to a Jesus Movement church in Redondo Beach called Bethel Tabernacle. There Jay met Jesus and they became friends for over 50 years.
I met Jay a few years later when I had my own come to Jesus moment that lasted a lifetime. We got married on August 12, 1973, a Sunday morning in the middle of a church service because we wanted to help build a new church building instead of putting on a big wedding.
Jay became a pastor for many years, finishing up at Living Word Fellowship... 2424 Moreton, in Torrance. He was not a CEO type of pastor, more of a shepherd, a big brother, a friend in good times and bad.
He was the kind of pastor who sat with dying people for days, went with people to their court appearances, stood up to abusive spouses while helping someone move out, helped the homeless by dining with them or taking them to do their laundry or to their medical visits. He loved missions and paid for a well project for AidChild in Uganda. He funded and visited many other sites like orphanages and leper homes in India and Mexico. We were foster parents for 30 years and adopted 8 children. He wanted to adopt more but I said 8 really is enough.
In 2004, God led us to move to beautiful Prescott Ariz, from our home in Palos Verdes. We bought the great big white house at the corner of Glenshandra and Williamson Valley Road. That house hosted parties, fund-raisers, prayer meetings, a home church. We made it a bed and breakfast, free for pastors and missionaries and life changing for many of our regular guests who often encountered God around the fireplace or the breakfast table. We also directed the Prescott Healing Rooms there for several years and saw many people healed.If Jay ever met you, your name ended up on his prayer list, which was pages long. He spent hours a day in the prayer room and saw miracles. He wasn't perfect. He drove like Mr. Magoo and collected guns as if zombies might come calling any minute. But he had one great accomplishment: in spite of how messy and mean this world can be, he learned to love.
All this time, he suffered greatly in a painful body that never did work right. Finally, he was in enough pain and mental confusion, that it became a blessing to shed that old body and go home to Jesus. December 20, 2019 was his first day in heaven, free of pain, sickness, struggles, and sadness. His dogs gone before ran to greet him, along with his family and friends already there, and his good friend, Jesus, gave him a very warm welcome, no doubt. It was the happiest day of his life and the saddest of mine.
Obit from The Daily Courier, Prescott Arizona.
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