Doris Ann Riley

Doris Ann Riley, age 85, of Owenton passed away peacefully at the home of her daughter on Sunday, March 26, 2023. On a beautiful, sunny, Spring Sunday, fourteen months after the passing of her husband, her body and singing voice were restored in Heaven.

She was born on August 23, 1937, in the Long Ridge community of Owen County, Kentucky, to the late Hensley Thomas and Mona Davis Baldwin. She was their third child after having suffered the losses of their infant children, H.T. and Joyce Evelyn Baldwin. Doris was also preceded in death by her husband, Samuel Herbert Riley, and her beloved grandson, Cody Karsner.

Doris was a devoted member of the Cedar Hill Baptist Church, where she served as the music director and a Sunday school teacher. She was retired from the Owen County Board of Education and also worked for several years as a purchasing agent for Owen County Memorial Hospital.  She was an accomplished Independent Researcher and Genealogist and founding member of the Owen County Historical Society. Doris worked tirelessly as a cemetery preservationist. Doris was awarded Owen County Mother of the Year in 1990 and was an avid gardener, and animal lover, especially her cats. Doris also served the City of Owenton as a councilwoman for over 20 years.

On any given day of the week and at all hours of the day you would find the small slight figure of Doris Ann Riley seated at one of the tables in the Owen County Public Library. In her fine handwriting, Doris would spend hours laboriously listing genealogies of Owen Countians, as well as writing extensively on the history of the area. Doris Ann was undeniably the inspiration and the motivation behind the collection of family history files in the Owen County Public Library collections. Behind her soft voice and slow sweet smile was a wealth of historic knowledge that encompassed not only the rich history of Owen County but also that of the families who call Owen County "home." Her years of dedicated service have left an indelible mark not only upon her family, her church, and her community but also upon a grateful Owen County Public Library where Doris Ann Riley created a special legacy for future generations.

Doris leaves behind a legacy of her children, Sheila Riley, Hines Riley, and Celia Wright; her grandchildren, Olivia Karsner and Logan Riley; and her special family friends, Marc Crumpton and Tina Eades.

New Funeral Homes are in charge of arrangements. A Celebration of Doris' life will be announced at a later time. For those wishing to honor her memory, donations are suggested to Owen Co friends of Animals, Owen Co Historical Society, or Cedar Hill Baptist Church.