Obituary for James Michael Riley
James Michael Riley, 60, of Norton, MA passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, November 21, 2021.
Jim was born on July 1, 1961 in Brighton, MA to Anna-Mary and John Riley, the second of eight children. He grew up in Wellesley, MA graduating from Wellesley High School in 1979. He attended Boston College, earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting in 1983. He then studied at the Boston College Wallace E. Carroll Graduate School of Management, earning his MBA in 1987, and serving as the Graduate Association President. He worked for a number of years in real estate venture capital at TA Associates, and then worked as an Asset and Portfolio Manager at Copley Real Estate Advisors before founding his own real estate company, Cross Real Estate, in 1996. He coined and lived by his company motto, “Bringing people to properties … and properties to people!”
Jim married his college sweetheart, Joanne Nicoletti, of Fall River, MA, on July 4, 1987. He welcomed his first daughter, Elizabeth (“Lizzie”) in 1997, and his second daughter, Theresa, in 2001. Jim’s greatest love and joy was his family and he was completely devoted to them. He was a frequent volunteer for school events and loved participating in his daughters’ extracurricular activities. He also had a great love for others and for enjoying and being outdoors. He always put others before himself, continually trying to think of ways to help other people.
Jim was an incredibly passionate and involved member of the community. He served on the Norton Board of Assessors, was a member of the George C. Shields Council of the Knights of Columbus, and volunteered for the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He was also a board member for Cooperative Production (CO-OP) and Abundant Hope Pregnancy Resource Center.
He was an active participant in parish and diocesan life, serving many ministries including the Attleboro Marriage Preparation Team and Stewardship. More recently, he served on the Diocese of Fall River Catholic Social Services Adoption by Choice Board and the Diocesan Pastoral Council. Jim initiated the Catholic School Scholarship Fund in 1995 to support students throughout the Diocese of Fall River. Jim was a man of great faith and he was deeply committed to serving the Catholic Church and its mission, sharing his Catholic faith with others, and trying to bring those he encountered closer together and closer to God.
Jim is survived by his wife, Joanne (Nicoletti) Riley, and his daughters Elizabeth and Theresa Riley, as well as his mother, Anna-Mary (Howe) Riley, his siblings and their spouses, John (Maureen) Riley of Natick; Rev. Edward Riley of Brighton; George Riley of Framingham; Kathleen (James) Burke of Hopkinton; Jane (Timothy) Rose of Natick; Mary (Thomas) Nolan of Framingham; and Margaret (George) Gaughan of Hopkinton. Jim is also survived by his mother-in-law, Norma Nicoletti, and brothers-in-law and sisters- in-law: Timothy (Julie) Nicoletti of Fall River; Ann Marie Nicoletti of Tiverton, RI; Susan (Daniel) Curran of Smithfield, RI; Cathleen (Paul) Medeiros of Dartmouth; Edward (Sheryl) Nicoletti of Northbridge; and Karen (John) Kardosz of Fall River. He is also survived by his nieces and nephews: Kathryn, Rebecca, and Caroline Riley of Natick; Kelli, MaryLauren, Caleb, and Anna Burke of Hopkinton; Timothy (Maura), Joseph, Shannon, Mark, Cecilia, Gabrielle, Eileen, Bernadette, Michaela, and John Rose of Natick; Terrence, Charles, Emmaline, Edward, Angela, and Murielle Nolan of Framingham; Brian, Marguerite, Andrew, Matthew, Katelyn, and Christina Gaughan of Hopkinton; Rebecca (Nick), Nick, and Ella Bessette of Norton; Alison (Jeff), Jake, Luke, and Zack Lemay of Ashland; and Timothy Nicoletti of Fall River; Daniel, Brendan (Staci), Emily, and Aubrey Curran of Smithfield, RI; Alec and Ryan Medeiros of Dartmouth; Tyler and Hannah Nicoletti of Northbridge; and Gretchen (Jacob) Reynolds and Nathan Desrosiers of Fall River. He is predeceased by his father, John R. Riley, his father-in-law, Edward T. Nicoletti, and his niece, Veronica Rose, as well as his grandparents, James and Blanche Riley of Watervliet, NY, and Charles and Loretta Howe of Latham, NY.
A Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, November 27, 2021, at 11:00am at St. John the Evangelist Church, 9 Glen Road, Wellesley, MA, followed by interment in St. Mary's Cemetery, Needham, MA.
Visiting hours will be on Friday, November 26, 2021, from 4:00pm to 7:00pm at Dyer-Lake Funeral Home, 161 Commonwealth Ave, North Attleboro, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Saint John’s Seminary (Brighton, MA), or Abundant Hope (Attleboro, MA) in memory of James M. Riley.
Jim was born on July 1, 1961 in Brighton, MA to Anna-Mary and John Riley, the second of eight children. He grew up in Wellesley, MA graduating from Wellesley High School in 1979. He attended Boston College, earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting in 1983. He then studied at the Boston College Wallace E. Carroll Graduate School of Management, earning his MBA in 1987, and serving as the Graduate Association President. He worked for a number of years in real estate venture capital at TA Associates, and then worked as an Asset and Portfolio Manager at Copley Real Estate Advisors before founding his own real estate company, Cross Real Estate, in 1996. He coined and lived by his company motto, “Bringing people to properties … and properties to people!”
Jim married his college sweetheart, Joanne Nicoletti, of Fall River, MA, on July 4, 1987. He welcomed his first daughter, Elizabeth (“Lizzie”) in 1997, and his second daughter, Theresa, in 2001. Jim’s greatest love and joy was his family and he was completely devoted to them. He was a frequent volunteer for school events and loved participating in his daughters’ extracurricular activities. He also had a great love for others and for enjoying and being outdoors. He always put others before himself, continually trying to think of ways to help other people.
Jim was an incredibly passionate and involved member of the community. He served on the Norton Board of Assessors, was a member of the George C. Shields Council of the Knights of Columbus, and volunteered for the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He was also a board member for Cooperative Production (CO-OP) and Abundant Hope Pregnancy Resource Center.
He was an active participant in parish and diocesan life, serving many ministries including the Attleboro Marriage Preparation Team and Stewardship. More recently, he served on the Diocese of Fall River Catholic Social Services Adoption by Choice Board and the Diocesan Pastoral Council. Jim initiated the Catholic School Scholarship Fund in 1995 to support students throughout the Diocese of Fall River. Jim was a man of great faith and he was deeply committed to serving the Catholic Church and its mission, sharing his Catholic faith with others, and trying to bring those he encountered closer together and closer to God.
Jim is survived by his wife, Joanne (Nicoletti) Riley, and his daughters Elizabeth and Theresa Riley, as well as his mother, Anna-Mary (Howe) Riley, his siblings and their spouses, John (Maureen) Riley of Natick; Rev. Edward Riley of Brighton; George Riley of Framingham; Kathleen (James) Burke of Hopkinton; Jane (Timothy) Rose of Natick; Mary (Thomas) Nolan of Framingham; and Margaret (George) Gaughan of Hopkinton. Jim is also survived by his mother-in-law, Norma Nicoletti, and brothers-in-law and sisters- in-law: Timothy (Julie) Nicoletti of Fall River; Ann Marie Nicoletti of Tiverton, RI; Susan (Daniel) Curran of Smithfield, RI; Cathleen (Paul) Medeiros of Dartmouth; Edward (Sheryl) Nicoletti of Northbridge; and Karen (John) Kardosz of Fall River. He is also survived by his nieces and nephews: Kathryn, Rebecca, and Caroline Riley of Natick; Kelli, MaryLauren, Caleb, and Anna Burke of Hopkinton; Timothy (Maura), Joseph, Shannon, Mark, Cecilia, Gabrielle, Eileen, Bernadette, Michaela, and John Rose of Natick; Terrence, Charles, Emmaline, Edward, Angela, and Murielle Nolan of Framingham; Brian, Marguerite, Andrew, Matthew, Katelyn, and Christina Gaughan of Hopkinton; Rebecca (Nick), Nick, and Ella Bessette of Norton; Alison (Jeff), Jake, Luke, and Zack Lemay of Ashland; and Timothy Nicoletti of Fall River; Daniel, Brendan (Staci), Emily, and Aubrey Curran of Smithfield, RI; Alec and Ryan Medeiros of Dartmouth; Tyler and Hannah Nicoletti of Northbridge; and Gretchen (Jacob) Reynolds and Nathan Desrosiers of Fall River. He is predeceased by his father, John R. Riley, his father-in-law, Edward T. Nicoletti, and his niece, Veronica Rose, as well as his grandparents, James and Blanche Riley of Watervliet, NY, and Charles and Loretta Howe of Latham, NY.
A Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, November 27, 2021, at 11:00am at St. John the Evangelist Church, 9 Glen Road, Wellesley, MA, followed by interment in St. Mary's Cemetery, Needham, MA.
Visiting hours will be on Friday, November 26, 2021, from 4:00pm to 7:00pm at Dyer-Lake Funeral Home, 161 Commonwealth Ave, North Attleboro, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Saint John’s Seminary (Brighton, MA), or Abundant Hope (Attleboro, MA) in memory of James M. Riley.