James Ray Riffey

One of my favorite customers at Pennfield Family Fare, always a smile and a hug ready, over to hear his laugh.

Mr. Riffey was a great Mentor. A Big and Tall Man with a soft and wise heart. He was always strict yet fair with me at WK Kellogg. I held him in very high regard. He was a true educator and he will be missed. I remember getting into trouble and he pulled me aside and into his office for what I thought was going to be a good scolding...Instead, we had a wonderful conversation about life and goals and responsibility and Pistons Basketball. He reminded me that there is consequence for our...

My deepest sympathies to the Riffey family. I met Jim and Esther about 12-14 years ago at Bob Evans, as I serve as a manager for BEF. I always enjoyed talking with the 2 of them and then with Jim after Esther's passing. I loved his stories about his basketball playing days and his days in the service for our country. I am an MSU graduate and Jim received his Master's there, so we always talked Michigan State athletics and anything else that came to mind. Jim even attended my daughter's...

My prayers to the family for strength, healing and one day at at time during tour mouring period. Remembering Mr. Riffey, from Battle Creek Central and thank him for be a role model and helping me through school. May God be with the family.
Ruth (Cook) Caldwell

As a former student of Coach Riffey, I am so saddened to hear of your loss, he deeply impacted my life. I ran into him one morning at Bob Evens and chatted with him with him briefly and shared that he had recently lost his wife and reminenced about our service days, and I was honored to be able to buy his breakfast and to pay my respects to him, he always worked us so hard in 6th hour gym class when he had us play against his varsity basketball team, boy did he believe in running laps. They...

Leslie, I'm so sorry to hear about your Dad passing what a wonderful tribute to such a great man. I was so fond of your parents when they would dine every Saturday afternoon at Schulers. They talked about you and your brother and shared beautiful stories about both of you. Then came the first grandson and how proud they were of that little guy. Your parents were really a big part of my life to see them on Saturday made my day.
Your dad really left his footprints everywhere he went and...

We just want to let you know how sorry we were to hear of your Father's passing.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you at this time.
Love and prayers
Jerry and Donna Castleberry

It saddened me to hear of Jim's passing. I was his. Special teller when he would come in to Comerica. We both helped each other during the passing of his wife Ester and my husband Ron. He will surely be missed, he sure could lighten up a room. May great memories be your healing power. My heartfelt prayers to his family.

My condolences to the family, Mr.Riffey was a great man and a major influence in my life, he was my principal at w.k.k.between 1977-1979. I skipped school one day and he and Mr.Sleeper were down town having lunch, he seen me pointed in the direction of the school, and back to school I went, he didn't have to say a word, I never skipped school again, I seen him periodically at family fare over the yrs. And he and I never forgot that day, he still would point when I seen him, and we would laugh...