Riley Treadway Folsom
Published December 13, 2015
Riley Treadway Folsom died peacefully at home in Stanwood on Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015. He was surrounded by the love of his family. Riley was born on Sept. 12, 1924, in Pensacola, Fla., and was the only child of Lucile and Crawford Folsom. Theirs was a Navy family, moving frequently. Eventually, the family settled in Seattle, where Riley graduated from Queen Anne High School in 1942. This is also where he met the love of his life, Eudora Isbell, and they were married in 1944. Their family grew rapidly, and Riley found himself the proud father of six daughters.
Riley enlisted in the Navy shortly after his high school graduation and soon realized his childhood dream of becoming a naval aviator.
He served in the Aleutians during WWII and was stationed all over the country during his 27-year career, including tours at NAS Whidbey (VPB-131, VP-4).
After Riley retired from the Navy at the rank of captain in 1969, he and Eudora returned to Washington state, where he began his second career.
In 1970, he earned his master’s degree in history from the University of Washington and later began teaching at Skagit Valley College in Oak Harbor.
He retired for the second time after 13 years, and, after snowbirding for a time, he and Eudora moved full time to Phoenix where Riley could indulge in his favorite pastime – golf. They returned to Washington state in 2004 to be near their daughters residing in Snohomish County.
Riley was blessed with a large and loving family, and they will miss his sweet, funny, comforting presence in their lives. Riley is survived by Eudora, his loving wife of 71 years; daughters Kathleen Folsom, Carol (David) Brown, Deborah (Kelly) Koontz, Andrea (Ron) Gann, and Martha (Tim) Folsom; 13 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, stepfather Tony Barker and daughter Laura Lucile Folsom.
A celebration of Riley’s life will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 9, in the Beachwood Lounge at Warm Beach Senior Community in Stanwood.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Riley’s memory can be made to Providence Hospice and Home Care of Snohomish County, 2731 Wetmore Ave., Suite 500, Everett, WA 98201.