Evelyn Riehl

Evelyn Marie "Shay" Barnett Riehl

Mass of Christian Burial for Evelyn Riehl will be celebrated at 10:30 AM, Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at St Patrick's Catholic Church by Father August Koeune. Vigil for the Deceased will be recited at 5:30 PM, Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at Newcomer. She will be buried Saturday May 29, 2010 with her husband, Ted, at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery in California.

Proud to be a native Californian, Evelyn Marie "Shay" Barnett was born on July 21, 1916 in Bakersfield to Leo Raymond Barnett and Stephania Eugenia Janowska. Not long afterwards the family moved to Modesto, CA. Shay excelled in school and fell in love with acting and drama. She earned many academic awards throughout her elementary and high school years. She liked acting so much that she chose drama as her major at Modesto J.C. She then transferred to the College of the Pacific, now UOP, where she performed in many productions, including summer stints in Columbia, CA at the Fallon House Theater. She graduated with honors in 1940 and began a rewarding teaching career in Central California.

While teaching drama and English at Lodi H.S. Shay met Theodore Byron "Ted" Riehl, the love of her life. They were married on July 12, 1941 and celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2001.

With her winning smile, dynamic personality and positive attitude toward life, Shay became an outstanding English and reading teacher. She taught at both Kingsburg and Madera High Schools. The Central California Council of Teachers of English honored her as teacher of the year. In 1998 the Madera Association of Mexican/American Educators honored her with the retired educator award. The presenter said, "She was notorious for being a reading teacher. She was the one who could get anyone to learn how to read."

Shay was an active member of St Joachim's Catholic Church in Madera. She was a member of the Altar Society and volunteered as a Eucharistic Minister to the sick. In 2002, Shay moved to the Life Care Center of Casper where she was close to her daughter. The nurses at Life Care said that even then, "Shay made sure everybody used correct wording and proper grammar."

Shay and Ted lived most of their adult lives in Madera, both of them working and raising a family. She was predeceased by her husband Ted, and by daughter-in-law Carol Lynn Smith Riehl.

Shay is survived by two sisters, Geraldine Commons (Dorman) and Beverlee Cryer (Robert); her daughter, Marilyn Crull (Tom) of Casper; two sons, Jeffrey (Marilyn) of Carmel, CA and James Derek (Janet) of Santa Clara, CA. Grandchildren include twin granddaughters Shana Riehl (Chad Stammerjohan) of Santa Clara and Andrea Hoffman (Matt) of Merced, CA; Dustin Crull (Heidi) of Denver, CO and Matthew Crull (Alson) of San Diego, CA; and James and Jeffrey Riehl of Santa Clara, CA. Great Grand children are: Thomas and Callie Hoffman, Aaron Stammerjohan and Thatcher Crull.

In lieu of flowers, memorials made to a charity of the donor's choice would be greatly appreciated.