Maria “Mary” Christina Rioux was born in a small house in Yonkers, New York as Maria Christina Schneider on June 22, 1934. She passed away in Fullerton, California on February 15, 2019. She called Anaheim, California home until the time she passed.
She was loved by all as a beautiful Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, Aunt, Cousin and Friend.
After being born in Yonkers, she moved to Irvington, New Jersey with her mother Maria, father George, and sister Lillian where she graduated from Irvington High School with a technical degree as a Beautician. While traveling to Germany with her mother to visit relatives and study opera, she met the love of her life, Dick. He was stationed in Germany with the Army and happened to have gone to high school with her, although they did not know one another at the time.
They got married in Klein-Auheim, Germany on June 2, 1956 in a civil ceremony. A week later, they married again at St. Peter and Paul Church in Klein-Auheim, Germany on June 9, 1956. They were blessed to celebrate 2 anniversaries each year!
They returned to the United States, living in Irvington before moving to Rahway and being blessed with their first 3 children - Doreen, Rick, and Michelle. After moving to Bricktown, New Jersey their family became complete when Chris was born. Later, the family moved to Manchester, New Jersey before she finally settled in Anaheim, California in 1993 with Dick and Chris. They also moved with her mother Maria, whom she cared for 24/7 until Maria’s passing in 1999.
Everyone who met her loved her and she was the hardest working woman you would ever meet. Whether it was cleaning, cooking, baking, gardening or cutting hair (as her grandkids remember well), her heart went into everything she did as she cared for everyone around her and she did it with love, passion, and song. She passed on this work ethic and passion and was proud of her 4 children and 7 grandchildren that have graduated or will graduate from college!
She passed after a long battle with dementia on February 15, 2019, but she knew her family until the end and cherished all the visits and phone calls. Although she spent her last 3 years as a resident of the Skilled Nursing Facility, The Pavilion at Sunny Hills in Fullerton, not a day went by when Dick and Chris were not by her side, offering her food, cookies, and coffee. She really Loved her coffee, especially French Vanilla!
She is survived by her loving husband Richard “Dick” Rioux, her children Doreen Rioux-Galligan (Don), Richard “Rick” Rioux (Anne), Michelle Green (Arthur), and Christopher “Chris” Rioux. She is also survived by her grandchildren Megan Lorenz (Richard), Matthew Galligan, Richard “Ricky” Rioux, Samantha Rioux, Bridget Green, Madison Galligan, Paige Green and her Great- granddaughter Anna Lorenz.
She was preceded in death by her father George Schneider, mother Maria Schneider and sister Lillian Schneller.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association www.alz.org
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