Obituary of Sierra Kay Riley

Sierra Kay Riley was born on July 19, 1998 and unexpectedly earned her heavenly wings on March 29, 2019 in Lake Forest, Illinois at the age of 20 years old.

Sierra was born in Waukegan, Illinois to Mindy Riley and Joseph Barton, Jr. Sierra attended Waukegan High School where she excelled academically and was a valuable member of the Waukegan Bulldogs basketball team. After briefly attending Zion Benton Township High School, Sierra decided to take a different path with finishing high school and to propel her career by attending Youth Conservation Corp YouthBuild, an organization committed to providing young people with education, certification programs and career development to build skills for life. Through YouthBuild, Sierra earned her General Education Diploma. Upon completion of the program Sierra was invited to Washington D.C. to speak about how the program helped her towards achieving some of her academic goals. She would later go on to attend College of Lake County. Sierra had a strong desire to work in the medical field as a medical billing specialist. 

Sierra’s pride and joy was her 1-year old son, Elijah Supreme Bond. She loved spending her time with him at home and in the park. She was passionate about ensuring that Elijah had a healthy and happy life. Sierra loved Elijah with all her heart. 

Sierra was a dedicated Chicago Cubs fan. She loved animals and her favorite color was yellow. 

Sierra is survived by her son Elijah; mother, Mindy Riley; siblings Savannah, Anthony and Alexander Riley; grandmothers, Donna Burgess of Grayslake, Arlene Barton (Mike) of Sweet Home, Arkansas, grandfathers, Stanley Brown of Chicago, Illinois, Joseph Barton Sr. Chicago, Illinois and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. 

Sierra was preceded in death by her father, Joseph Barton, Jr; great grandparents, Dorothy Cleveland and Gordan Cleveland; uncle, James Oldham; and aunt, Virginia Mosses. 

Memorial Visitation will be held Monday, April 15, 2019 at Congdon Funeral Home, 3012 Sheridan Rd., Zion, IL from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., Memorial Service will take place at 6:30 p.m.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.