Cemetery Loses Long-Time Local Figure

Richard Staley has retired from his post on the Elsinore Valley Cemetery District Board of Trustees, but he won’t be far away.

Instead, the 84-year-old Wildomar resident said he intends to still pay close attention to the issues facing the district.

“They’ve got lots to do,” he said, noting that flood control remains high on his watch list. “I will be around.”

Staley was recognized for his 12-year service on the board today during a special luncheon served on the cemetery grounds.

Several local residents were on hand to show support, as were friends, his daughter, Gail, and fellow board members.

Diana Russell, district manager for the cemetery, said Staley will be deeply missed.

“We are losing a great trustee,” she said.

Staley was appointed as a EVCD board trustee in August 1999 after he wrote a letter to Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster expressing interest in the then-vacant post. Staley got the supervisor’s attention, was put through the interview process, and subsequently landed the assignment.

“It was a chance to serve the community,” Staley said of his desire to pursue the job.

According to Russell, one of Staley’s most notable contributions during his EVCD tenure was ensuring that Jewish community members have a final resting place in the cemetery.

It was "a passion," Russell said of Staley's commitment to Jewish residents.

Staley said the Elsinore Valley community is dear to his heart. A resident for nearly 60 years, he and his wife, Doris, raised their five children here. Three of the kids still live in the area.

Family, Staley said, will surely keep him busy in retirement, as will peripheral involvement in district issues. But other projects will occupy his time, too, like northbound road trips.

“Fishing,” he said. “Eastern Sierra fishing – now and then.”

Staley’s retirement has opened a post on the EVCD board. For more information about the vacant position and application information, contact ECVD at 951-674-2418.