It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Pop/Poppy/Daddio, Robert Jeffries (Jeff) Rilee, on May 20, 2025. He was surrounded by family as he gazed at his beautiful York River and peacefully departed this world.
Jeff was born in King and Queen County, Virginia, on March 4, 1942. Married for 65 years to his high school sweetheart, Diane Breeden Rilee, he was a proud dad to his daughter, Elizabeth (Beth) Rilee Kelley (Paul) and son, Robert Jeffries (Jeffrey) Rilee Jr., and granddad to four beautiful grandchildren who were some of his biggest fans: Breeden Kelley Browning (Matt), Paul Thomasson Kelley Jr. (Samantha), Harlow Rilee Foster (Tyler), and Travis Lucas Haurand (Jennifer). He was proud of his eight remarkable great-grandchildren and always entertained by stories shared by their parents.
He is survived by his sisters, Jane Rilee Walton and Betsy Haynes Rilee, and many other beloved family members. He is also survived by his lifelong best friend who was like a brother, Joshua Henry Lawson.
Jeff was preceded in death by his parents, Elizabeth Jeffries Rilee and Ernest Lee Rilee; his brother, Ernest Lee Rilee Jr., and his son, Robert Jeffries (Jeffrey) Rilee Jr.
Jeff grew up working on his family’s dairy farm (Sunnyside) in King and Queen County and was a true outdoorsman. He never met a boxwood he didn’t end up planting somewhere. He loved gardening, cutting grass, crabbing, fishing, and hunting (turkey, duck, deer, quail, etc.). If it involved the outdoors, he was all in.
Jeff went to Pleasant Hill High School and was a talented athlete. While he played in every sport offered, football was his favorite and in his senior year, league coaches unanimously voted him for All District First Team honors as running back. Jeff was also quite the practical joker as a teen but we won’t go into that here.
After graduation, Jeff joined Chesapeake Corporation and worked there until his retirement 37 years later. When the West Point YMCA opened, he joined the staff and spent 10 years socializing … uh, working. Jeff was a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan and owner (with one share of stock to prove it) and an avid UVA fan, following his Wahoos in football, basketball, and baseball. He knew stats he really shouldn’t have known.
Jeff’s smile said it all. He didn’t know a stranger and was genuinely interested in people and their lives. His friends meant the world to him, and he’d light up when he saw them. He was so much fun to be around.
Jeff was one of the good guys and we will miss him dearly.
The family extends their gratitude to all medical staff and caregivers over the years who kept our Pop/Poppy/Daddio with us far longer than we thought we’d ever have him. We are eternally grateful for you.
The family will receive friends from 5-7 p.m., Thursday, May 29 at Vincent Funeral Home, 417 11th Street, West Point, Va.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the West Point YMCA, P.O. Box 1526, West Point, Va. 23181 or Poroporone Baptist Church, P.O. Box 400, Shacklefords, Va. 23156.
Tributes may be posted at www.vincentfh.com.