Marjorie Denson Riley

Marjorie Denson Riley, BA ’51, of Waco, and formerly of Cameron, died April 15 in Waco.

Riley was born May 20, 1930, to Joe Chambers Denson and Olive (McGehee) Denson in Cameron, Texas. She graduated form C.H. Yoe High School in Cameron in 1947 and later in 1951 from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Arts in speech and education. While attending Baylor, she married Harold E. Riley, and they finished their final year of studies as a student couple. They were blessed with four children, Risk, Randall, Jana and Ray.

Riley was an ardent supporter of Baylor throughout her life. She felt privileged to follow in the footsteps of her mother, who attended in 1912, and her grandmother, who attended when Baylor was still located in Independence, Texas. The Olive McGehee Denson and Marjorie Denson Riley Endowed Scholarship Fund in Education was established to provide scholarship assistance to students in the School of Education.

Riley was a member of First Woodway Baptist Church where she taught Sunday school for many years. She was an active member in each of the Baptist churches she attended, leaving an indelible impression on all who knew her.

Her many interests included reading, writing, sewing, crafts, cooking, gardening, sports, puzzling and traveling with friends. Most of all, though, she was a faithful wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend. Riley will be remembered for her friendly, fun-loving nature, for being a devoted friend, for her commitment to family and for her dedication to her Christian faith.