Riley T. Cumberland
November 7, 1952 ~ July 12, 2009
Resided in:
Fletcher, NC
Fletcher ~ Riley T. Cumberland, 56, of Wilkie Way in Fletcher, NC died on Sunday, July 12, 2009 in Snowshoe, W.Va.
He was born in Fairfax County, Virginia and was the son of Jeanine Poplin and the late John Riley Cumberland III.
Mr. Cumberland was a US Marine Corp. Veteran serving during the Vietnam era. He worked as an elevator constructor and was the owner of Mountain Elevator, Inc.
He was an avid amateur radio operator and a volunteer for emergency communication. He was a member of the Lutheran Church of the Nativity in Arden.
In addition to his mother, he is survived by his wife Diane G. Weaver of Fletcher; son, Riley "Buddy" Cumberland of Fletcher; a daughter, Ruth Margaret Cumberland of Fletcher; three sisters, Laura Crocker of Daytona Beach, Fla., Shelley and Andrea Cumberland both of Manassas, Va.
A funeral service will be held 2:30 P.M. Sunday at the Lutheran Church of the Nativity on Hendersonville Road in Arden with Rev. Dr. Mark Fitzsimmons officiating. Burial will follow in Calvary Episcopal Churchyard.
The family will receive friends from 2:00 – 2:30 P.M. prior to the service at the church.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Lutheran Church of the Nativity, 2425 Hendersonville Road, Arden 28704, Lutheridge / Lutherock Ministries, 28 Spruce Drive, Arden, NC 28704 or to Shaver's Fork Fire & Rescue, 1 Black Run Rd, Snowshoe, WV 26209.
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Diane, Buddy and Ruthie, Please know our hearts go out to you. Riley is truly a wonderfully gifted person with an amazing sense of humor.. We will miss him.
Diane, Buddy, and Ruthie
Please know that I am thinking about you. I am so sorry for your loss. I hope your good memories will help you at this time. All of your NAMI friends have you in their prayers, I am sure.
Dear Family
Our hearts go out to you in this time of great loss. We both thought highly of Riley, and will miss his conversations as we walked by your house. He was a good neighbor.
Diane, Buddy and Ruth,
I am sorry for your loss.. What a wonderful man RT was, his personality, his laugh and always smiling. Our prayers will be with you.
Diane, Buddy & Ruthie,
Pam and I want you to know that you are in our thoughts and prayers at this time. While we know there are no accidents in God’s will for our lives, often we don’t understand the plan when it unfolds in such an unexpected way. Riley was a good neighbor, that was always enjoyable to talk to. We will miss his friendly demeanor.
Diane, Buddy and Ruthie,
My thoughts and prayers are with all of you. I remember when I leased you your first apartment @ Turtle Creek upon your arrival to Asheville. What a treasure he was, full of humor and life. God Bless!
We send our condolences to Riley’s family. He was a very nice person and a friend to all. We will keep the family in our thoughts and prayers. May God Bless you. Love, KI4FPC Roger and Donnie Grindstaff (Aunt Betty as Riley would call me.)
I knew ol’ Riley for many years through amateur radio. He’d stop Diamond Brand and see me now and then. ‘Sure hate to hear of his premature passing.
Jerry Brendle
Asheville, NC
Going to miss our emails times. Loved talking with Little Riley, my name for him since I was once his babysitter and always his Aunt, and remembering all the great things about his Dad and my brother. God Bless You All, Letha
Will miss you more than words can say. When you were little you always asked ‘WHY’ well now we are asking why? But now you have all the answers and we will just have to wait awhile.
love to all
Aunt Nancy
My wish is that his contagious laughter and wonderful memories will give each of you comfort during this most difficult time.
Diane, Buddy and Ruthie,
What a shock to hear of Riley’s passing. He was such a nice man and always had a ready smile. He will most defintely be missed. Our most sincere sympathies.
Phil and Kelly Behm
Diane, Buddy, & Ruth: We will really miss Riley’s booming voice shouting out ‘Go Wolfpack’ as he drove by our house! He was one of the first neighbors to welcome us and it won’t be the same. Know that you are in our prayers.
Ruthie,
My hear aches for you and your family to hear of your Dad’s passing. There is no doubt he is with our Lord, and making Heaven an even more cheerful place. We always enjoyed his visits and his bright personality and we will look foward to seeing him again someday when the Lord calls us to go home.
My thoughts and prayers are with you always.
With Love,
Rodney
Diane, Buddy, & Ruthie, We wish to express condolences for you all’s loss of Riley, he will be sorely missed.
Pete & Val.
Diane, Buddy and Ruthie,
I was very sorry to learn about Riley’s passing. I will keep all of you in my thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
Janice Bowen
I got to know Riley when we lived in Fletcher, N.C. I was interested in Ham Radio and was into it in a big way.
We got to be friends through this and I found him to be a very fine person. I send my Condolences to the Family.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you. I have many fond memories of Little Riley at the cabin during hunting season, and will always keep them near. God Bless All.
Uncle Ralph and Vickie Cumberland
Fun times growing up with Riley. The best part of life are the memories left behind from are childhoods. One day we will all meet once again, in a new life. Godbless you Diane,Buddy and Ruthy
Diane,Ruth and Buddy, I am so sorry to hear of Riley’s passing. I never met him in person but we spoke on the radio net and I heard him talking to Buddy on the way to NC State several times. The love and pride of a father for his son was obvious in his voice. Take comfort in the thought that to be absent in the body is to be present with the Father. My prayers go out for you all.
Dearest Ruth,
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, but you still remain in my thoughts, often. I am so sorry to hear of your father’s passing and wanted you to know that you, and your family, are in my prayers.
God’s grace and peace, Whitney Yoder
Riley, You will be missed. We always had a lot of fun at the family cookouts. You and my brothers used to always try and scare us girls. God Bless and our hearts are with Diane and family.
Tom & Kelly (Cumberland) Clark
Diane, Buddy, and Ruthie,
We are so sorry to hear of Riley’s
sudden death. We will miss his laugh, smile, and love as a neighbor. It won’t be so jolly here without him. We know we will all see him again in heaven, but
will miss him here on earth! We’re just a few steps away anytime you need us. God bless you all,
Anne & Bill Ammons
Dear Diane, Buddy and Ruthie, We did not know until yesterday that Riley had left us ahead of time and gone on to Heaven! What a shock it was to hear of this. That wonderful laugh, always joking, making people smile. He was a dear treasure who visited often when we had our store out there. Every time he walked in he wanted to know if I had any batteries for his mandolin! What a character he was, so full of life and love and respect for all humanity as well as a stupendous pride in his family. We will miss him terribly, but I know he is with the Lord today, so rest assured that we will see him again! You are in our thoughts and prayers always! Love to each one…Cicci and Gary
You doing OK Riley? Its been a while.