John William Riffe died on August 22, 2024, at Ruby Memorial Hospital from complications following open heart surgery.
He was surrounded by the arms of his family and received emotional and spiritual support from family and friends. This loving, funny, creative and family-oriented man was 77 years young.
John was preceded in death by his mother Katie Echols Riffe, his father Robert Dorsey Riffe, his stepmother Ethel Queen Riffe and his two brothers Robert Lee and James Edward.
He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Jane Riffe, a native of the Lake O’ Woods community, and his children, Laurie Riffe and Robert Riffe.
John was born in Charleston, the youngest son of Katie Echols Riffe and Robert Dorsey Riffe. John graduated from Stonewall Jackson High School in Charleston in 1965. John was named class valedictorian and was awarded National Merit Scholar status.
While attending West Virginia University, John met the love of his life, Jane Hollis Beerbower, at The Book Exchange. They married in Kingwood in 1969. As a young couple, John and Jane joined the Peace Corps to assist in the Teaching English as a Foreign Language program. The program was abruptly terminated due to political unrest, and the couple returned to Morgantown, where John completed his Bachelor of Science in accounting. John and Jane took an extended trip to Mexico in their Volkswagen bus to submit their graduate school applications. John and Jane earned their degrees from the University of Kentucky at Lexington. He graduated with a Master of Science in economics, just in time to welcome their first child, Laurie. John taught accounting, business administration, business law, and economics at Elizabethtown College while enjoying country life, organic gardening, and beekeeping.
After the couple returned to Rowlesburg to be closer to family, they also welcomed their son, Robert. John served in many different roles throughout his life, with his primary goal being to help others. In Rowlesburg, John served as president of the People’s National Bank. His creativity and superior eye for detail were instrumental in innovating the bank’s systems, and his work had a lasting impact on the community. John’s quick wit and humor were evident in his “Ask Mr. Banker” column. After his tenure as bank president, John founded Preston Playthings Inc. The company designed and built large cedar playground structures as well as tactile play boxes that are fun for children in schools and libraries across the state of West Virginia.
When John and Jane moved to the Cheat Lake area of Morgantown, John devoted himself to raising his children and creatively remodeling the family home. John was a major contributor to the relief efforts in Preston County following the great West Virginia flood of 1985 and received the U.S. Small Business Administration Award in Financial Services for his work.
After the couple moved to Morgantown’s South Park neighborhood, John completed a Master of Science in counseling at West Virginia University and joined Jane in the family’s private counseling practice. Their office was located in the historic Sandcastle Building at 270 Walnut St.
John’s artistic streak and love of words led him to create titled sculptures from found objects, which he called Abject d’Art by Johnre. Over the years, John continued to find great joy in the artistic process and in sharing his pieces with family and friends.
John will be laid to rest on Thursday, August 29th, at Lake O’ Woods Cemetery. The funeral will be private and will be conducted by Smith Funeral and Cremation Care of Westover/Morgantown. The family plans a celebration in Morgantown in September to honor and remember John. All are welcome.
Donations to the Arts Council of Greater Morgantown in memory of John Riffe are welcome and the family will be notified of all donations. Donations may be made by check made out to Arts Monongahela, Inc., marked IN MEMORY OF JOHN RIFFE and mailed to Arts Monongahela, 341 Chaplin Hill Road, Morgantown, WV 26505, or online at:
https://artsgm.org/invest/donations/
We will remember John as a devoted husband and father, for his loving kindness and generosity toward all, and for his playful and positive nature.
Sympathy:
www.smithfcc.com
