Dianne Riley Berger

Dianne Riley Berger, aged 81, passed away peacefully on October 8, 2023, in Draper, Utah surrounded by her children. She was born on May 14,1942, in Beaver, Utah to John and Margaret Riley.

Dianne grew up in Beaver, Utah, where she acquired her knowledge of horses, learning how to care for, love, understand them, and ride them. One of her favorite stories to tell was about how she defied her parents and snuck off to ride her uncle's spirited horse, who, according to Dianne, no one else could or dared to ride. She loved to recount the tale of how she rode through the streets of Beaver with her hair flying, while that horse ran as fast as it could. Most would have fallen off or died of fright, but to Dianne, that was one of the best days of her life.

In her early years, she took dance lessons and became a talented, beautiful dancer. She loved to dance. She was head cheerleader at Beaver High School for 3 years and went on to BYU where she was a Cougarette. As an adult, she relished going to dance clubs with her girl friends, where they focused solely on dancing, with no boys allowed.

Dianne devoted her career to Allstate Insurance, where she began her journey in 1977. Remarkably, at that time, she was only the second woman in the state of Utah to be hired as an insurance agent, breaking through a predominantly male profession. Her exceptional skills in the field and the deep admiration of her clients underscored her success.

Dianne was a fierce and passionate lover of animals and would go out of her way to care for homeless animals in need. She especially loved cats and spent years and years of her life volunteering for rescue organizations in her free time. She was a prominent figure in many different no-kill rescue organizations. Over the span of her years as a volunteer, she successfully placed hundreds, maybe thousands of cats in loving homes.

She was an avid reader, she loved to tell her life stories and had a wicked sense of humor. She made everyone laugh and loved to laugh herself. 

Dianne's love for flowers was a cherished part of her life. Her passion for gardening transformed her yard into a vibrant canvas of nature's beauty. With tenderness, she planted, pruned, and nurtured a diverse array of blooms. Each trip with Dianne to a nursery is a fond memory, as she lovingly shared intricate details about each flower variety. She'd talk about their unique blooming seasons, the ideal spots to plant them, and even the individual quirks and preferences they held for sunlight. It was a journey through the world of flowers, guided by her vast knowledge.

She adored her grandchildren and cherished spending time with them. She loved to take them to indoor trampoline parks, pumpkin patches in the fall, fruit stands in the summer and to see reindeer and christmas trees in the winter. In between all that, she would show them her vast perfume bottle collection, teaching the details of each one, when and where they were made and what they were made from.

Dianne is survived by her children Todd Berger and Holly Thorpe, and her grandchildren Morgan Nicole Thorpe-McArthur (Dallin McArthur), Lauren Shay Thorpe, and Colton David Thorpe. Additionally, she is survived by her younger brother Michael John Riley (Kathleen Davis Riley).

She is preceded in death by her parents, John LeRoy Riley and Margaret Thomas Riley and her older brother Douglas LeRoy Riley.

A memorial service for Dianne will be held on Saturday, October 28, 2023 at 11:00AM with a gathering of friends and family prior to the service beginning at 10:00AM at Memorial Lake Hills Mortuary, 10055 South State Street, Sandy, UT.