Obituary of Jesse Copeland Riley

Chapel Hill – Mr. Jesse Copeland Riley, 92, husband of the late Sylvia Sparrow Riley, died December 5, 2018 at UNC Hospitals.

Mr. Riley was born April 30, 1926 in White Cross, NC, to the late Arthur Newton and Lillian Earl Copeland Riley.  He graduated from Chapel Hill High School, and upon graduation was drafted into the US Army.  Jesse proudly served his country during WWII, also serving as a medic in the Letterman Army Hospital in San Francisco, CA.

Mr. Riley was a lettercarrier for the United States Postal Service for 40+ years, retiring in the mid-eighties.  He loved gardening, farming, and was an avid UNC Tarheel fan.  Jessie was a longtime active member of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, serving as a deacon, singing in the church choir, and was a Sunday school teacher.   He enjoyed playing dartball in the church league for many years.

Mr. Riley is survived by his daughters, Carla Horner, and her husband, Frank, Carol Campbell, and her husband, Mike, all of Chapel Hill; grandchildren, Randall Horner, and his wife, Jessica, Jared Campbell, and his wife, Shannan; and great grandchildren, Conner Horner and Colton Campbell.

A funeral service was held on Saturday, December 8, 2018 at 3:00pm at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, officiating was Rev. Barrett Freeman.  Burial followed in the church cemetery.  

The Riley family is under the care of Walker’s Funeral Home of Chapel Hill.