Mary J. "Maureen" Rider

Mary J. "Maureen" Rider

Mary J. "Maureen" Rider was the 4th child born to Charles and Anastasia McGrath on March 22, 1928, in Birkenhead, England. Maureen died on Friday, June 18th, 2021, at the age of 93, at her home with her family present. Maureen was the last of her siblings on earth and has gone to join them and her husband Earl "Mike" Rider (deceased Feb. 10, 2014).

Maureen worked as a jewelry assistant at Boodle and Dunthorne in Liverpool England in the 1950's after living through the trauma of WWII in her teen years. Maureen and Mike met in Liverpool, England at a dance which Mom attended after work at a local community center. Mike had arrived on the S.S. Volunteer as part of the Merchant Marine Service. Maureen left her large family in England and traveled by ship via Canada to America. Mike and Maureen married in Portland Oregon and resided afterwards in North Hollywood, California in the 1950's, Canoga Park in the 1960's-1970's finally coming to Camarillo in March of 1978. Maureen was a faithful parishioner of St. Charles Borromeo, St. Joseph the Workers, St. Mary Magdalene's and finally Padre Serra as a founding member in 1988.

In Southern California Maureen worked as a swim coach and swim instructor beginning in the early 1960's. In the San Fernando Valley, she taught children with special needs at what was then Crippled Children's Society. Maureen also coached elementary children at St. Joe's and De La Salle catholic schools swim teams. In Camarillo she ran a private swim program teaching out of back yard pools. Many children learned to swim over the decades because of Marueen.

Mike and Maureen loved to travel and enjoyed many trips and cruises in their retirement. Maureen was a member of Las Posas CC for decades playing tennis and later golf. She was a member of P.E.O. and for years volunteered at Padre Serra as an usher and Eucharistic Minister. She and Dad volunteered for O.A.S.I.S. In her last decade as her activities became limited, she began her ministry as a prayer warrior. She had a notebook she wrote names and prayer requests in, and many prayers have been answered.

Maureen and Mike were blessed with 3 children, Mark Rider (Daughter-in-law Kristina), Patricia Sentianin (Son-in-law Bernard), and Martina Porter (Son-in-law Robert). They were further blessed with 4 grandchildren, Megan (Chris), Emily (Robert), Paige (John) and Luc. She is also survived by her 6 beloved nieces and nephews in England and their children and countless cousins. There is nothing she loved more than hearing all our stories from both sides of the Atlantic, and she will continue to be present with all of us in our future joys.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, July 9th at 10am, at Padre Serra Catholic Church in Camarillo. We are inviting you to come 20 minutes early to pray a decade of the rosary and for prelude music. Maureen's favorite local charity was The St. Vincent de Paul Society. The outreach ministry aids those in need in our midst. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation with St. Vincents or Padre Serra parish, Maureen's second home.