David P. Riley passed away peacefully, having been surrounded by his loving family and friends over the past few weeks, on May 2nd, 2016 at the age of 71 after a year-long battle with cancer.
David was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on July 26th, 1944, and grew-up in Chelsea, MA as one of the five sons of Helen P. Murphy Riley and Joseph B. Riley.
David is survived by his wife, the love of his life and spouse of 46 years, Audrey Ann (Mace) Riley; his daughter Meghan Riley Thress and her husband Ken Thress of Needham, MA; his son Matthew and his wife Kate of Seattle, WA; his son Colin, of Portland, OR; loved as Papa by his four adoring grandchildren, he leaves behind Abigail & Lucas Thress and Isla & June Riley.
David is also survived by his four brothers and their wives: Joseph and Anne Riley of Bow, NH; Robert and Penny Riley of Milton, MA; William and Barbara Riley of Kennebunk, ME; and James Riley of Chelsea, MA; and his seven nieces and nephews.
As a boy, David attended St. Rose Elementary and graduated from Chelsea High School in 1962. He attended Cardinal O'Connell and St John's Seminary before moving on to graduate from Boston State College the same year he received a Master's Degree from the University of Connecticut. David subsequently earned his Ph.D. from Syracuse University in 1975, forever being a loyal Orangeman.
In the summer of 1967 David was working as a reporter for the Chelsea Record and Audrey Ann Mace, also of Chelsea, was working a summer job in the City Clerk’s Office. David haunted the desk until one of Audrey’s co-workers said, “Why don’t you just ask her out?” David married Audrey in the summer of love, 1969. For 46 years, David and Audrey were the model of a loving marriage. Audrey was his partner on the dance floor and in life, and he forever sweetly called her “my bride.”
David worked his entire life at a wide range of jobs. Starting at an early age David shined shoes, and delivered newspapers. He drove a cab, was a newspaper reporter for the Chelsea Record and a stringer for the Record American. He was a Capitol Policeman in Washington DC under Senator Edward Kennedy’s patronage, and a singing bartender on Cape Cod.
After obtaining his doctorate at Syracuse, Dr. Riley began his career in Special Education that spanned over 40 years and impacted thousands across the US. His professional life was a journey focused on improving the outcomes for diverse learners and to improve the quality and equity of urban education. David's professional life was reflective of his values and a core belief that every child deserved the best education available. David was clear about the right of every individual to have a productive role in society, and he was deeply devoted to ensuring that all students had that right.
He founded the MA Urban Project, and from the mid 1970's to today, David has been in the vanguard of shaping systems to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Using the MA Urban Project as a model, in 1994 David founded the Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative, housed at the Educational Development Center (EDC). He was a partnership leader for the National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities and served for 21 years as the Executive Director of the Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative.
In November of 2015, David became Senior Advisor to the Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative. He had plans to step down completely in order to spend six months in Florida and six months in Maine with his beautiful bride. David was recognized nationally as a valuable asset to the field of Special Education as an educator, researcher and practitioner. He talked the talk and walked the walk.
For more than 37 years, David and Audrey lived and raised their family in Jamaica Plain, MA; their dear Moss Hill friends became extended family. Beyond the city life he loved in JP, David's favorite place on Earth was his home on Pratt's Island, Southport Maine. On the drive to look at a small cottage on Pratt’s in 1980, David said he did not care what the cottage was like – if it had running water, they were staying. Each summer, over the course of 35 years, David and Audrey would take their family to Maine. David served in the Commodore chain at the Southport Yacht Club for 6 years, quite a feat for a boy from Chelsea. It was on Pratt's Island where you could find David at his most relaxed: where he enjoyed boating, golfing, kayaking, reading out on the lawn and generally tinkering about his beloved ocean-side slice of heaven.
What David was most proud of, and what he enjoyed more than anything in the world, was his family. His depth of feeling and love for his wife, children and grandchildren were palpable by all that knew him. Even if you were just introduced to him, he was most likely bending your ear about his family. His desire to really want to get to know others meant you felt special in his presence.
David loved life and saw its purest blessings in the people and places that surrounded him. He loved the outdoors, ski trips, canoe trips, kayaking, camping and was always up for an adventure. He was man of strong faith. He always took the time to recognize how lucky he was to have lived so beautifully and to be loved so deeply. He was a gift to this world and will forever be remembered as kind, thoughtful, interested and committed to every life he touched.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Visiting hours will be held in the Robert J. Lawler and Crosby Funeral Home, 1803 Centre Street, West Roxbury on Thursday, May 5th, from 4:00 to 8:00pm.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated in St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 97 South Street, Jamaica Plain on Friday, May 6th at 10:00am.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his honor may be made to The Children's Tumor Foundation at www.ctf.org.