Bruce Martin Riley
Bruce Martin Riley
Bruce Martin Riley was born December 24, 1950, in Rockville Centre, NY, and was the third of eight children of Joseph Donald and Ann Joan Riley. He grew up in Dunkirk and Fredonia on the shores of Lake Erie. He is survived by his son, Stephen (Pornvipa) Riley of Garberville, daughter Grace (Julie) Segovia of Winchester, MA, grandson Rafa, and partner Maryanne Riley of Garberville, as well as brothers Denis Riley of Merritt Island, FL., Brian (Claudia) of Fredonia, NY, Thomas (Mary) of Alameda, CA, and Brendan (Susana) of San Diego, CA, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother Donald and sisters Mary and Monica. Bruce was recognized early in life for the enthusiasm he put into everything. He became famous in his hometown for winning a trip to Europe by selling newspaper subscriptions while in high school, and repeated that feat the next year, winning a trip to the British Isles; subsequently, the rules were changed to prevent such recurrences. At age 19 he bicycled through France, Belgium, and Germany. A graduate of Cardinal Mindszenty High School, he studied at both State University of New York at Fredonia, as well as the University of New Mexico, receiving a degree in history. He attended Sonoma State for post-graduate studies in psychology and Humboldt State in education.
In 1980 Bruce moved to Humboldt County with his wife and two land partners to create a homestead and start a family. He loved carpentry and worked on many rural houses, teaching building skills and making lasting friends along the way. He was grateful to live around the ancient redwoods and became a docent at Humboldt Redwoods State Park in the 1990’s, volunteering to educate tourists from all over the world about the sacred trees. After he became disabled he spent more of his volunteer time at Burlington Visitor Center. He became involved with Archangel Ancient Tree Archive project, which creates living libraries old growth tree genetics around the planet. He was recognized in 2022 at an Archangel Ancient Tree event in San Francisco. He also wrote editorials in the Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive Association Newsletter, and gifted bowls and other items made of redwood. He will be sorely missed on Wednesdays at the Visitor Center. Bruce was well-read and had enthusiasm for geology, ecology, birds, kayaking, golfing, history, Greek mythology, Jungian psychology, and more recently Buddhism. He was a faithful benefactor to Campaign for Tibet and once attended a talk by the Dalai Lama. His home was filled with Buddhist wisdoms and photos as a daily reminder to practice compassion. He was a big buyer of books on nearly every topic imaginable and regularly gave them away to whomever was agreeable. Perhaps his most pursued passion was birdwatching, which included keeping a life list of identified species. He introduced many friends to this passion, always having extra binoculars on hand to go along with his keep knowledge. He travelled to Asia in 2019 to Hokkaido, Japan, to see the red crowned cranes, among the rarest cranes in the world. This trip took him to India to the Aurangabad Caves and Mumbai to the famous Hindu and Buddhist Elephanta Caves. A small, intimate Buddhist service was held April 1 in Bruce’s home with family and close friends. Donations can be sent in his honor to the Rangjung Yeshe Gomde California (RYG CA) PO Box 162 Leggett, Ca 95585.