Name/Title
Helen Shriver RileyEntry/Object ID
DU2026.03Description
Digital photograph, framed. Framed print image of a smiling elderly woman with short gray hair, glasses and white shirt with blue floral pattern against brick background. Photo in a simple black frame with white mat. 9 3/4" x 11 3/4".Photograph Details
Subject Person or Organization
Riley, Helen ShriverContext
From Helen Shriver Riley's Obituary:
"Preservationist and Volunteer
Helen Shriver Riley, the eldest surviving member of Carroll County’s Shriver family at Union Mills, MD, and long-time advocate for historic preservation matters, died on March 27, 2024, at Fairhaven, a continuing care community in Sykesville, MD. She was just a few days short of her 94th birthday.
Born March 31, 1930, she was the daughter of the late James McSherry Shriver, Sr. and Helen Brogden Shriver of Union Mills. The second of six siblings, she grew up at Chinquapin Hill, a Shriver family home adjacent to the historic Union Mills Homestead. In her youth, she assisted with the farming operations of the B.F. Shriver Co., a noted canning company of which her father was president.
Mrs. Riley attended St. John School in Westminster and graduated from Garrison Forest School in 1948. After graduation she studied at Strayer’s Business School and Catholic University, and worked for the Federal Reserve Bank, the Junior League of Baltimore, and Dr. Wilson Grubb.
After her marriage to the late G. Donald Riley, Jr. in 1955, she and her husband lived in Annapolis; Honolulu, Hawaii; the Persian Gulf; and northern Virginia before her husband’s retirement from the Navy in 1972. During the family’s time in the Navy, Mrs. Riley raised five children.
Mrs. Riley and her husband lived for 43 years at Farm Content, a historic landmark built by her ancestor, David Shriver, a Revolutionary War-era patriot and legislator. The Rileys restored the home and worked to ensure its preservation, securing the property’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Mrs. Riley and her husband later donated a preservation easement on Farm Content to the Maryland Environmental Trust, the Maryland Historical Trust, and the Carroll County Land Trust. They also organized and incorporated the Historic Shriver Graveyard, Inc., to ensure the perpetual care of a historic Shriver family cemetery adjacent to Farm Content.
Mrs. Riley’s interests included genealogy, historic preservation, gardening, tennis, and community service. She was a life member of the Historical Society of Carroll County and the Union Mills Homestead Foundation, and a long-time member of the Roslyn Garden Club. She also was a member for over 60 years of the William Winchester Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and maintained membership in the Colonial Dames of America, Chapter 1; the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America; and other historical organizations.
Mrs. Riley remained committed to historical preservation matters and community service throughout her life. She worked for many years at the Historical Society of Carroll County. After retiring from employment with the Historical Society, she served on the organization’s Board of Trustees. She was a long-time volunteer at the Historical Society, and in 2002 was awarded the Historical Society’s “Chairman of the Board Award” for service as Chair of the organization’s Annual Antiques Appraisal Day, as well as her service on the Board including a term as Board Chair. In 2006, Mrs. Riley and her husband were recognized as the Historical Society’s nominees for Carroll County’s “Philanthropists of the Year,” a recognition begun that year by the Community Foundation for Carroll County. In 2022, the Historical Society of Carroll County awarded Mrs. Riley their Distinguished Service Award, recognizing her extraordinary lifetime efforts to preserve and promote the history of Carroll County.
Mrs. Riley also volunteered with other organizations including the Union Mills Homestead, the Colonial Dames, and the Daughters of the American Revolution, where she served as regent of the
William Winchester Chapter of the DAR. For many years she volunteered at St. John Church in Westminster and the Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage.
In April 2011, Mrs. Riley and her husband moved to Fairhaven where she served as Secretary of the Fairhaven Resident’s Association for several terms. She volunteered at the Fairhaven library, the Fairhaven Treasure Shop, and the Fairhaven gift shop. She was a Eucharistic Minister for St. Joseph Church, providing communion to Fairhaven residents. She remained active in nonprofit endeavors throughout her life, serving as the secretary and treasurer of the Historic Shriver Graveyard, Inc. until the time of her death.
In 2019, Mrs. Riley was recognized in Maryland’s “Senior Citizen Hall of Fame,” including special recognition with a “Geri” award for her lifetime of volunteer service.
Like her husband before her, Mrs. Riley enjoyed writing for Inkling magazine at Fairhaven. She also authored several columns on historical matters that were published in the Carroll County Times.
Mrs. Riley is survived by daughters Helen R. Hecht of Westminster, MD, Virginia R. Fahrney of St. Augustine, FL, and Rebecca R. Silver of Newbury, NH; sons Samuel M. Riley of Westminster, MD and Benjamin S. Riley of Summerfield, NC; 13 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; two sisters, Eleanor Shriver Cassilly and Madeline Shriver Franklin; and a brother, B. Frank Shriver. She was predeceased by her husband; a brother, James M. Shriver, Jr.; and a sister, Rebecca S. Lucid."