Ella F. Riach

Ella Riach Obituary

Ella F. Riach

On February 28, 2011 the world lost our beloved mother, sister, grandmother and great-grandmother, Ella F. Riach. Born in Benerillo, New Mexico on August 16, 1926, Ella greeted death comfortably at home in the company of family after months of dealing with cancer.
During these last months she was assisted selflessly by her only daughter, Karen Bradford; as well as her granddaughters, Kelli, Adrian and Jill; her daughter-in-law, Jody Riach; her surviving sons, Ken, Bryan and Ron; and by the love and affection of her brother, Wallace; twelve grandchildren; and twelve great-grandchildren.
Ella was preceded in death by her husband, J. Gaylord Riach; and her oldest son, Greg.
She will be remembered at what would have been her 85th birthday at noon, Sunday, August 14 at her "Gazebo" on the 18th pond at Sun Country Golf Resort.
Although she loved the color and life flowers provide, we believe she would have favored contributions to the Providence Hospice of Snohomish County, 2731 Wetmore Avenue, Suite 500, Everett, WA 98201, to help others enjoy the kind and heartfelt care and guidance they provide.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Herald (Everett) on Mar. 6, 2011.

Memories and Condolences
for Ella Riach

4 Entries

Carla Henderson

March 21, 2011

Mary Ann, Carla and Gene offer sincere condolences to the family.

Wade Bradford

March 14, 2011

I could write a book about this wonderful woman. But I should probably keep things short here. Perhaps I should just write the first ten or so memories that come to mind -- most of them are from my childhood.

#1) I remember countless drives across the pass, going from Edmonds to the Golf Course in Cle Elum. Grandma (or sometimes Grandpa) would drive and we'd talk the whole way there.

#2) When we didn't talk during the drive, we usually listened to showtunes. I still have "Fiddler on the Roof" and "The Sound of Music" stuck in my head, thanks to her.

#3) She gave me my first taste of economic responsibility when she let me have a running tab. I could buy drinks and candy bars from the club house. And to pay off my debt, she let me fish for golf balls in the pond and sell them.

#4) Whenever I climbed up the apple tree Great-Grandma Ruth would always shout, “You’re gonna get a sore stomach if you eat all them green apples.” But Grandma Ella always let me eat as much as I wanted. (And I never got sick.)

#5) My earliest memory is jumping into the Yakima River at age four. I was fishing with my uncles, and since they were jumping in the water, I thought I could too. I was swept down stream, very quickly. I remember bobbing up and down, blowing bubbles in the water. I remember my Uncle Ken running down the shore and saving my life. The very next memory takes place back at the club house; Grandma is wrapping a towel around me and yelling at my uncles.

#6) Four years later, my mom found out that I almost drowned in the Yakima River. I remember Grandma trying to ease my mother’s anger by saying, “Oh, he was perfectly fine.”

#7) When my cousin Aaron and I accidentally stomped on a hornet’s nest, I remember running across the golf course, screaming for my grandmother to save us.

#8) When I was around 10 years old, Aaron and I pretended that lead pipes were samurai swords (because that’s what cousins do), and a few moments into that game I got whacked just above the eye. It was Grandma who patched me up. It was Grandma who let me look at the wound in the mirror right before she put on the bandage. And it was Grandma who caught me when I fainted.

#9) Grandma taught me how to drive a golf cart. Maybe she wasn’t the best instructor – because I did drive a golf cart off a cliff when I was 12 years old. However, Grandma was the one who insisted that I get back on the horse (or in this case, back on the golf cart) and ride again. She was not afraid to tell you that you were being an idiot. But she was also not afraid to give you as many chances as you needed.

#10) I remember dancing with her on my wedding day. No matter her age, my Grandmother was the youngest, most energetic soul on the dance floor.

She made every season special. I have countless memories of skiing in winter, being spoiled rotten at Christmas, and waking up on rainy Easter mornings at Sun Country. But the summers were the best.

Every summer at the golf course, my grandmother gave me a boyhood reminiscent of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. How many kids get to experience that nowadays? What better gift could a woman give to her grandson?

I love you, Grandma!

Ron Riach

March 11, 2011

Our mom meant so much to us it is impossible to put it into words. She was a constant support we could count on from when we were little to her last days. Although she was small in stature she was a great spirit. To the very end she was a classy lady full of spit and vinegar who.
So many people new her in so many different ways. She was a skier, a golfer, a dancer, a friend, a lunch date, a hospital volunteer, a cub scout leader, a wife, a mother, a grand and great grand mother, a sister and so much more to so many others.
She said she felt very lucky to have had such a wonderful and healthy life. She and our dad James Gaylord Riach (1993) skied all over the world, sailed the Puget Sound and the Caribbean, and golfed at many beautiful courses around the US. She never had a cavity until her thirties and never had any significant illnesses until she was diagnosed with bladder cancer last May.
She will be missed, but maybe this spring she’ll come back as a beautiful butterfly, land on my shoulder and give me a little butterfly kiss before she dances away on the wind again.
Always her baby boy, Ronald Kim Riach.

Brenda Laland

March 10, 2011

Dear Karen

We have fond memories of your dear mother, Ella. You will remember we met you both on our Viking holiday in China. We loved her hats (complete with matching flowers) and envied the fact that she was always last into bed in the evenings. She certainly lived life to the full.

We send our condolences and good wishes to all the family.

Brenda and Jim Laland (Leicestershire, England)

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