Alison M. Riggs

January 28, 1936 - October 3, 2021 Alison Riggs was a caring wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend. She passed away after a courageous battle with cancer on October 3, 2021 at age 85.Alison was born to Fred and Isabel MacDonald on January 28, 1936 in Regina, Saskatchewan Canada. She later moved to Los Angeles where she attended high school and graduated from St. Mary's Academy ('52). She then went onto Mt. Saint Mary's College (The Mount) where she graduated ('56) with a BS and as a Registered Nurse. She met George Riggs through friends and they were married three months later on March 17, 1962. Together they enjoyed 52 years of marriage living in Walnut CA and raised 3 children: Wendy, Ian and Pamela. Alison took great pride and was extremely dedicated in her career as an RN. She first worked at UCLA Medical Center, then after raising her family, she returned to work at Inner Community Hospital in Covina CA. She got her Masters in Nursing from CSULA and soon was promoted to management working for Inner Community and Queen of the Valley hospitals. Alison truly loved helping others and thoroughly enjoyed all of the wonderful people she had the opportunity to work with over her 40 year career in Nursing. After retirement, Alison became a clinical instructor of Nursing at Mt. San Antonio College. She loved her students and they loved her. This "second career" lasted another 14 years. Alison was a tireless volunteer. She very much enjoyed giving back to those in her community. She was involved in Children's Home Society, Walnut Friends of the Library, the St. Vincent de Paul Society and numerous Nursing non-profit organizations. Alison was an avid baseball fan. She was steadfast in supporting both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Angels. One of her biggest thrills was getting to attend the World Series at Dodger Stadium with her daughters in 2018. She also loved the outdoors and had an adventurous spirit. She loved to escape to Mammoth Lakes where she would enjoy skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. Her interests stretched far and wide with her love of the theater, art and opera as well as country music. She & George loved to travel and were able to see so many amazing places throughout their lives. Lastly, Alison was a woman with a strong faith in God. She was a devout Catholic and we know she is at peace with God by her side. She is predeceased by her parents, Fred & Isabel MacDonald, her son Ian Riggs, and her husband George Riggs. Alison is survived by her two daughters Wendy Riggs (Nick Tingle) and Pamela (Rex) Aberle, her five grandchildren: Ben Tingle, Alex Tingle, Brooke Aberle, Jake Aberle and Zoe Tingle, her sister Sheila Lopolito and her nephews Vincent, Daniel, Paul and Philip Lopolito and niece Jean Boultinghouse. A funeral service is scheduled for 12 noon on Saturday October 23, 2021 at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Rowland Heights. In lieu of flowers, please make donations on Alison's behalf to the St. Vincent de Paul Society https://www.svdp.org/give-now/ or Doctors Without Borders https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org/secure/donate