Joel Trenton Riley of Plano, Texas left his beloved family and friends on July 23, 2021 at the age of 84. He was born on November 19, 1936 to Byron and Geneva (Tucker) Riley in Colmesneil, Texas. Joel grew up in Southeast Texas, with a brief period in New York City, and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Port Arthur, Texas. Joel put himself through school and graduated from Lamar University in 1960 with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering. Joel was an excellent salesman, working for Texaco and General Electric during the 1960s and 1970s. He then sold chemical components throughout East Texas/Louisiana for Ribelin Sales, Inc. for 19 years, which he loved, and earned “Salesperson of the Year” multiple times until his retirement. When he wasn’t selling, Joel was working tirelessly in his yard, a creek lot which he picked out, and built a loving house for the family in 1977. In fact, he won “Yard of the Month” multiple times, which he was very proud of and mentioned often to those within earshot. Joel was an expert traveler, always researching the best spots and out-of-the-way places just to experience something amazing and memorable. While he is one of the few to visit all 254 Texas counties, his favorite places always involved beaches. Joel loved to travel with Sue to the Caribbean throughout their 45 years of marriage, as well as to Galveston each summer with the family. They also enjoyed frequent trips to Austin, New Orleans, and Shreveport, and he was an avid fan of horse racing – including a trip to the Kentucky Derby. In recent years, travel with the family became very important, as more memories were created in the Hill Country, San Diego, and Hawaii. The one thing that Joel loved most besides his family and travels, was his passion for Texas Longhorn football! He could recite statistics of almost every game, coach, or player, and always looked forward to watching his Horns either in person or on TV. And when he wasn’t dispensing his encyclopedic knowledge to his family on historical facts and geographic places, he truly enjoyed sharing his experiences with his many friends at Sherlocks in Addison, his “other” family. Joel was truly one of a kind - and will be immensely missed by all of those who had the pleasure of knowing or sharing a beer with him.
Joel is survived by his wife, Sue Riley, of Plano, Texas; children, Trenton Riley and husband, Paul Kobos of San Diego, California, Rachel Ellsworth and husband, Steve of Pearland, Texas, and Regan Rawlinson of Rowlett, Texas; grandchildren, Carson Ellsworth and Tanner Ellsworth; and numerous other loving family and friends.
Joel was preceded in death by his father, Byron Riley and his mother, Geneva Bivins and her husband, Durham, of Longview, Texas.
A private family gathering will be held at a future date.