Teresa Spears Riley
Teresa Spears Riley, 59 years of age and resident of Ruston, passed away on May 30, 2020 due to an extended illness. She was born on Jan. 27, 1961, in El Dorado, AR, to Cynthia Spears and the late Johnny Spears of Minden and was the oldest of four children.
Her family moved to Natchitoches while she was a teenager where she was very active in sports, school activities and was the school drum major. Upon graduation, she attended Northwestern State University where she pursued a major in accounting. While there, she was active in Phi Mu sorority and was a member of the Cane River Bells dance line.
During her summers, she coached a number of girl’s softball teams, served as an All Star coach many seasons and later spent time helping coach the girl’s team at Cedar Creek School. After graduation, she married Sam Riley, also of Natchitoches, and spent the next 35 years together, most of that in Ruston.
In 1998, the greatest blessing of her life would come when their son Austin was born. Austin was active in sports and she attended every game, where she was often one of the most spirited fans in the crowd. Teresa’s favorite pastime away from the ball field was gardening. She always enjoyed the love of flowers which she inherited from her grandmothers who were both avid gardeners.
Teresa was a passion ate student of the Bible and loved the discussions she participated in with her Sunday school class, which she cherished. She was a courageous and compassionate person who was a true friend to all. She had a positive attitude, loved to laugh, and her smile will be missed by many.
She is preceded in death by her father, Johnny Spears, and brother Keith Spears. She is survived by her mother Cynthia Spears, her husband, Sam Riley, her son Austin Riley, her brother Randal Spears, her sister Tina Peddington and many nieces andnephews.
Graveside services were held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 2, 2020, at Gardens of Memory Cemetery in Minden, LA, with the Rev. Paul Watts officiating. The family received friends from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. prior service at Rose-Neath Funeral Home in Minden, LA.
