Chester A. Riley Iii

Lt. Col. Chester Arthur "Chet" Riley III, USMC Ret., died June 11, 2021, peacefully and fearlessly, at home, surrounded by his family. He was 69.
Born June 14, 1951, in La Grande, Ore., to Roe Adeline (Hunsaker) and Chester A. "Jack" Riley Jr., he was raised near Seattle in the town of Kent, Wash., where he graduated from Kent-Meridian Senior High School in 1969. After earning a B.S. in Accounting in 1976 from the University of Puget Sound, he entered the United States Marine Corps, which he proudly served for 23 years.
His service took him to Louisiana, Virginia, Okinawa and California, where he received an M.S. in Financial Management from the Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey in 1982. He completed Command & Staff College at Marine Corps University, Quantico, Va., in 1991. He was Comptroller/Facilities Director for the USMC Recruiting Command in Washington, 1992-1996; Legislative Assistant for Defense Issues for U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter as a Brookings Institute Fellow, 1996; and Head for all Marine Corps Appropriations Issues before the U.S. Congress for the Secretary of the Navy, 1996-1999.
He was the recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, and the Navy Achievement Medal. It was his great honor to be a Marine and he loved his Marine Corps brethren. Semper Fi and Oorah!
After retiring in 1999, he was Chief Operations Officer for findAspace.com Inc. in Falls Church, Va. In 2001 he moved to Boiling Springs, Pa., where he enjoyed the peace and quiet of raising a family in a small town.
He enjoyed music, movies, gaming and staying in touch with countless friends around the country and the globe. But most of all he enjoyed being with his family, including his beloved pets. He loved a joke and had a contagious laugh that was impossible to resist. Making Dad turn purple with laughter was a favorite family pastime.
He was a devoted husband who never missed an opportunity to tell his wife how much he loved and appreciated her. He adored his children and followed their creative exploits with great excitement, attending everything from heavy metal concerts to alt rock/folk shows to dance recitals and Shakespeare productions. He loved every note, every word, every brush stroke. He was a ceaseless promoter and cheerleader in all they did and he could not have been more proud of the marvelous men and women they have become.
He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Licia Ann Ponzani; sons Chester A. Riley IV (Rebecca) of Carlisle, Pa., and Luke H. Riley of Boiling Springs, Pa.; daughters Rachel R. Kuldell (Alex) of Falls Church, Va., and Adeline Grace Riley of Boiling Springs; and a sister, Jill Adeline Riley of Halfway, Ore.
Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to one of the following: Community CARES, 50 W. Penn St., Carlisle PA 17013 (https://www.morethanshelter.org/give-financially) or Project Share of Carlisle, 5 N. Orange St., Carlisle PA 17013 (https://projectsharepa.org/donation-form-2021-post-mm/).
Arrangements are being handled by the Hoffman Funeral Home and Crematory, 2020 West Trindle Road Carlisle, PA 17013.
To sign the guest book please visit www.HoffmanFH.com.