Dr. Merle Eugene Riley

Dr. Merle Eugene Riley of Albuquerque, New Mexico, passed away peacefully on Jan. 7, 2024 in the presence of his family after being diagnosed with cancer.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Cecilia in 2022, his parents Amy Linscott and Wilbur Riley, his older brother Warren and sister Pauline. He is survived by his son Kevin and daughter-in-law Anne Riley of New Orleans, daughter Natalie and son-in-law Bill Patz of Albuquerque, as well as grandchildren Olivia, Connor, Christopher and Caroline who all loved him dearly.

Merle was born in Waterford, Ohio on March 23, 1941. He was very proud to have been brought up on his family’s small farm where he learned the meaning of hard work from an early age. Merle remembers learning how to drive a John Deere tractor very young, and later assembling a hay loader and side delivery rake at the age of 12.

As it turned out, Merle had a great talent for academics. He received the highest score in a State of Ohio chemistry exam prior to graduating from Waterford High School in 1959 as valedictorian of his class. This was just the beginning of his academic adventures. He attended nearby Marietta College on scholarship where he studied chemistry, graduating Magna cum Laude in 1963 and being elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He obtained a Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from California Institute of Technology (CalTech) in 1968.

While studying at CalTech in Pasadena, he met the love of his life Cecilia Osorio from Colombia, South America, who was visiting her two sisters in the United States during a short vacation. Merle and Cecilia fell in love, corresponded long distance by mail, and got married one year later in Bogota. Merle was awarded a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship to study physics at Harvard University, so they moved to Boston, Massachusetts. After Merle’s post-doc, they moved to Albuquerque, NM in 1969 where he began working at Sandia National Labs. He worked on atomic, molecular, laser, and plasma physics. He was involved in many projects including the so-called âStar Warsã program that contributed to the end of the Cold War. There he published more than a hundred scientific and technical articles and was appointed Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff, retiring in 2003.

In 1970, Merle and Cecilia started a family. Being a father to Natalie and Kevin brought tremendous joy to Merle. He taught them how to ride bikes, took them to the Balloon Fiesta every year, and naturally helped them with school assignments and science fair projects. Merle also enjoyed driving fast and racing his Jaguar E-type. Merle and Cecilia enjoyed traveling; one of their favorite trips was to Moscow, a place they never imagined they would be able to visit. In more recent years Merle enjoyed working on genealogy. He also was a dedicated primary caregiver for Cecilia as she developed ongoing health concerns.

A memorial service will be held for Merle at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History on May 30th at 6PM. Burial services for Merle and Cecilia will be held at the graveside of Waterford Cemetery at 10:30 AM. It will be followed by a reception at Beverly United Methodist Church 700 Park St.; Beverly, Ohio 45715.