Riley T. Folsom

December 13, 2015. He was surrounded by the love of his family. Riley was born on

September 12, 1924 in Pensacola, Florida, 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 twenty-seven 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 thirteen years, and after snowbirding for a

time, he and Eudora moved full time to Phoenix, Arizona 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 seventy-one years;

daughters Kathleen Folsom, Carol (David) Brown, Deborah (Kelly) Koontz, Andrea (Ron) Gann,

and Martha (Tim) Folsom; thirteen grandchildren, twenty-six 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 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 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 Avenue, Suite 500, Everett, WA 98201.