Clive George Riley

Clive George Churchill Riley, 82, passed away at Princeton Hospital on Saturday April 18, 2020. He was a longtime resident of Kendall Park, NJ before moving to Plainsboro, NJ. Clive was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago to Sandrida Riley and Ralph Danclair. As a young man, Clive attended the prestigious Tranquility Government Secondary School in Trinidad where he graduated with high honors. There, he was part of the Cadets Force which is a voluntary military program that taught young people how to be model citizens. Clive was an extraordinary athlete. He was a champion track & field runner. His main event was the 800-meter race. He won many awards and medals and was an Olympic hopeful. Unfortunately, Trinidad & Tobago decided not to send a team to the 1960 Olympics which prompted him to put his track & field career aside and move to the US. Clive moved to the United States in, first living in Harlem and then moving to Brooklyn. He returned to Trinidad to meet and marry his wife of 51 years, Victoria Riley. They lived in Brooklyn, NY for a short period before moving to Kendall Park, NJ. Clive graduated from Long Island University in Brooklyn earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting. For many years, he worked as an accountant for Banker’s Trust. He later decided to go into real estate becoming a licensed real estate broker in New York. He then went on to work for Johnson and Johnson where he retired. He later became a naturalized citizen and was able to maintain a dual citizenship status between the USA and Trinidad & Tobago. Clive was very spiritual and had a deep love for Christianity and studied the bible regularly. He joined the Emmanuel Baptist Church of Somerset, NJ in 1985. He was ordained as a Deacon and has held the title ever since. He had a deep love and dedication to his church family which spanned 35 years. Any hardship he faced in life he always turned to God for strength and deliverance. One of his favorite gospel hymns was “Blessed Assurance”. Clive had many hobbies and loved the outdoors, agriculture and exercising. He had a “do it yourself” mindset and fixed things from changing the brakes on his own car to changing a plumbing system in his home. He loved Christmas time where he would always bake a ham, make ginger beer, make homemade breads and holiday pastries (all West Indian Style). He also loved listening to old time calypso music. His favorite artist was the Mighty Sparrow. Clive was known for his love of mangoes but his favorite mango of all was “Mango Julie”. Clive was very outgoing, extremely friendly and loved people. No matter where he went, he would always greet everyone and start a conversation even if he didn’t know you. He had a knack for brightening up a room. He loved the good in people and always taught his children to love, be respectful and never hesitate in helping someone in need. He is predeceased by his mother Sandrida Dabrell and his stepfather Jerome Dabrell and his many aunts and uncles all whom he was very close. He is survived by his wife Victoria Riley and their 3 children Laura Riley, Sharon McCray, and Mark and Kristen Riley. He leaves behind his 6 loving grandchildren Elijah, Shawn, Kyla, Michael, Christopher, and Markus. He also leaves behind many, many loving cousins and friends. In lieu of flowers please donate to the following charity: https://njtrees.org/donations/ Private Services

Clive George Riley

February 17, 1938 - April 18, 2020