Eletha “Kay” Riley, 61, of Salina, went to be with Jesus on Tuesday, May 7, 2019 at her home in Salina, Kansas. She was born July 13, 1957, Omaha, Nebraska.

She was preceded in death by her father, Bernard Sherman; sister, Diane Conrad.

Survivors include her mother; Patricia Jordan; children, Kimberly Thompson (Marcus), Levi Riley (Cassie), Ashley Riley-Rainwater (James), Ceara Gomez (her favorite child); brothers, Roy Brown, Steve Brown, Warren Sherman; 13 grandchildren; [Jevin, Mia, and Deuce Thompson], [Alexander, Brody, Zoe, and Zac Riley], [Alyssa, Anthony, Arikah and Aspen Rainwater], [Hayden and Cayla Gomez].

From beginning to end, Kay was wild, brazen, untamed, grossly inappropriate at times and exactly what this world needed. Every small story she told, every outing and experience with her became a sitcom. She was naturally entertaining and hilarious, brilliantly gifted in fact, with a sense of humor that was brutally hysterical. She was crude. She was shameless and mostly unapologetic about it too, which we all secretly found admirable. We admired her for never intending to harm with her humor but if she did (sometimes she did), it was their problem for being too sensitive. That was Kay’s way of loving people and coping with life, by joking often. She was who she was in all her glory. She was larger than life and too much at the same time and we could never get enough of her. She was strong and brave, far more, brave than most of us. She was so sure of her on uncertainties, which sounds contradictory but with Kay, it wasn’t contradictory at all. Whatever sufferings she had, she kept within herself. She didn’t care to be a downer to those around her, that was not who she was. She was about lifting and uplifting, clowning, finding an often, twisted humor in the sufferings of life — making them more bearable for the rest of us. She was loving, grateful, kind, sweet and sentimental. She had a lot more of that side in her than many would guess, but that was the soft side she preferred to only allow a few to peek at. Lord forbid, anyone mistake her sweetness for weakness – She wasn’t having that…ever! She was tough, tough as a boot. Kay could eat rocks for breakfast with no chaser then tell you to bring on the nails. Staunch and stoic as a soldier, she was stubborn to a fault and just as generous. Kay was a kaleidoscope of everything perfect and terribly imperfect mixed all into one beautiful mess — the most beautiful mess you ever saw. She was walking art who fascinated us, and we loved her from the first time we ever heard her laugh. Her laughter drew us in, but her heart won us over. She was a breathing garden of antics, smart puns and one-offs that never stopped, and she was always there, loving, giving, doing whatever she could to help others when they were down.

She saved and rescued those who were most in need. She changed lives for the better. She sought those who needed love and support all throughout her life and she gave all she could to help others overcome and simply be better. She was always rooting for the underdog and looking out for the downtrodden.

Kay’s was not only an amazing friend but an even better mother. Her four kids were her everything and once they were grown her 13 grand babies filled her heart with love and joy all over again. The support, encouragement, suggestions, protection, loyalty and most of all the love she had for her kids and grandbabies was one of a kind. One of the many things she told her kids as they grew up was “you’ll never know what true love is till you have your own babies”, she made sure her babies knew they were loved. She was one of the hardest workers you’ll ever come across regardless of the job because her motivation was to give her kids all that she could and then some. No matter what the circumstances were, she was always there to be the shield that stopped any harm from coming to her four kids. There was nothing and no one that could stop her from having her kids backs at any cost and protecting them from harm’s way.

Dependable as the sunrise and equally glorious, Kay was a bright, shiny star in a dark world. She will be deeply missed by all who have had the blessing of knowing her magnificent soul.

Memorial services will be held Saturday, May 18, 2019 at 4:30 pm at First Southern Baptist Church on the corner of S. Ohio and Magnolia.