Max Robert Riley

Max was born in Corvallis, OR and raised in Brawley CA where he aspired to leadership roles from his earliest days. A scholar/athlete, Max received degrees from Humboldt State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Oregon in educational leadership. Prior to attending Humboldt, Max played on the offensive line for the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.

Max’s professional career began in the 1970s as a founder, counselor and first principal at what is now an award-winning alternative school (Sunset High) in Crescent City, CA. From there he moved back to Oregon to earn his doctorate at the University of Oregon in the Department of Education Policy and Management. During and after his graduate studies, Max worked in Labor Relations for the 4J school district in Eugene, OR.

In the 1980s and 90s Max worked as Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources first for Springfield and then for Corvallis Public Schools. His goal of becoming a superintendent of schools occurred in 1997 when he headed to the East Coast to lead several school districts in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. He retired in 2011 from Port Jefferson Public Schools on Long Island. Max was considered what the head of the American Association of School Administrators called a “lightening rod” among suburban superintendents nationwide. His work emphasized vision, reform, and filling the gaps for underserved children to have access to more and better educational opportunities.

Three years after retirement, Max and his wife Mary moved to Upstate New York where they lived for eight years in both the Adirondacks and Finger Lakes regions where Max immersed himself in his outdoor passions of hiking, fishing, target shooting, gardening and bird watching. In 2022, they returned to the Pacific Northwest where they first met. 

A fifth generation Oregonian, Max is survived by his wife, Mary Riley of Tacoma WA, daughters Erin Dieter (Ben) of Springfield OR, Kirsten Larwin (Luke) of Bend, OR, Bryn Riley of Eugene, OR, and his sister, Beth Torrenti of Dallas, GA. He also is survived by his six grandchildren, Eric Larwin, Leif Larwin, Sonja Dieter, Elijah Dieter, Max Larwin and Inga Larwin. He was preceded in death by his mother, Mary Strickland Curtis; father, Robert Johnson; step-father, Robert Riley; and his brother Chester Riley.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests making a donation in Max’s name to Every Child Valued (ECV), Lawrenceville NJ 08648, www.everychildvalued.org.

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