Dixie Jo Riley, 86, of Fort Madison, IA, passed away on Thursday, July 2, 2026 at 8:03 AM at her home.
She was born on April 16, 1940 in Ft. Madison to Edgar and Fern Decker James. On June 22, 1957 she married Thomas Riley in Ft. Madison and he passed away on January 31, 2015. Dixie and Tom owned and operated an auto body and detailing business out of their home for many years and were avid vintage car fans. She collected toy scales and had a passion for tending to her flowers. Most of all, Dixie loved her family and cherished her time spent with them.
Survivors include one son, Kirk (Cindy) Riley of Ft. Madison; one daughter, Suzanne (Ron) Overberg of West Point; eight grandchildren, Jennifer (Jeremy) Helling, Dustin (Megan) Overberg, Daniel (Ashley) Overberg, Derrick (Tami) Riley, Brooke Riley, Jacob (Jensen) Riley, Gabrielle (Kolton) Atkins and Emily (Luis) Valdez; nineteen great grandchildren; one sister, Lynda Day of Ft. Madison; nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; a son, Joe; a brother Ed Carpenter and a grandson, Nicholas.
The family will meet with friends from 1-3 PM on Monday, July 6, 2026 at King-Lynk Funeral Home & Crematory with a memorial service to follow at 3 PM at King-Lynk Funeral Home & Crematory. A memorial has been established for the Old Settlers Association and online condolences may be left at www.kinglynk.com.
