GALVESTON, Texas -- Mike Riley, Moody Gardens president known for his work ethic and good-natured disposition, died Sunday.
The cause was an apparent heart attack, friends said.
Bates, Cooper and Sloan Funeral Home in Mount Pleasant will host visitation from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Funeral services are set for 10 a.m. Saturday at Nevills Chapel in Mount Pleasant. Plans for a Galveston memorial will be announced soon.
Riley had captained Moody Gardens through Hurricane Ike in 2008, when emergency power was lost and staff brought in oxygen tanks and refrigerated trailers to sustain cold-water animals. His most recent projects included working with the team designing new innovations at the Rainforest Pyramid, and helping develop a new 302-room hotel convention center in Lubbock.
When you put Mike in charge of something, it was accomplished in a first-class manner, said Irwin M. Buddy Herz Jr., who worked with Riley on the Moody Gardens golf course and other projects. His friendship with Riley dated back more than 20 years, during the time Riley helped establish a national reputation for Moody Gardens attractions and convention center.
I was impressed by his gentleness and his ability to work with anyone and everyone, Herz added. He truly was the epitome of a gentle man.
Doug McLeod, chairman of the board and director of development at the Moody Foundation, recalled Riley as a very hardworking, conscientious man. We all envied his wonderful disposition.
McLeod recalled Riley as very intelligent, very goal-oriented.
But the thing that will have a lasting impression on me as far as Mike is concerned is that he was always seemingly in a good mood, he said. Mike was just very pleasant all the time. I don t think I ever heard him raise his voice one time, even under high stress.
Riley began his career in the hotel industry at the Baker Hotel in Dallas in 1965. He was appointed vice president of Gal-Tex Hotel Corp., the management company of Moody Gardens, in 1985 and moved to Galveston.
He was named executive director of Moody Gardens in 1995 and was the on-site representative of Gal-Tex during the construction of the Discovery Pyramid, Moody Gardens Hotel and the Aquarium Pyramid.
Riley was named president of Moody Gardens in 2000, and continued his duties as vice president of Gal-Tex. He served as a board member of the Texas Travel Industry Association, Galveston Park Board of Trustees, Salvation Army, Galveston Airport Advisory Committee and United Way of Galveston.
The rebuilding of Moody Gardens after the hurricane was one of Riley s most significant accomplishments, Herz said. Most people never realized the extensive damage several of the attractions had suffered.
Floodwaters from Hurricane Ike caused an estimated $50 million in damage, much of which has been repaired.
Riley consistently praised staff as he helped coordinate the recovery.
He had a great work ethic and carried on his work in a very upbeat and positive manner, McLeod said. That was contagious to people.
This story was brought to you thanks to khou.com's partnership with The Galveston County Daily News.
