MICHAEL RIEGER 01/20/1960 ~ 06/13/2024 

Michael (Mike) Allen Rieger, 64, passed away peacefully on June 13, 2024 at his home in Puyallup, Washington surrounded by his loving family after a short but hard-fought battle with cancer. 

He was born in Mobridge, South Dakota on January 20, 1960 to parents Leonard and Shirley (Walther) Rieger.  Mike and his older brother Tim spent their early years with their parents in Mobridge and they grew up very close to all their cousins and always had many family and friends around to enjoy time with.  In 1966, Leonard and Shirley sold their home and moved the family to Puyallup, Washington. Growing up and attending schools in Puyallup, Mike graduated from Puyallup High School in the class of 1978.

Mike first met the love of his life Sherril Fogle when they were in high school and they had their first official date on July 11, 1981 while “cruising the loop” in downtown Puyallup, a favorite past time with friends over the years in his yellow Road Runner and Cuda and in later years with family and friends in his Challenger and his dad’s 1959 Oldsmobile Super 88.  They loved to go out dancing and have a good time with friends and family; they were together for a few years before marrying on October 25, 1985 and in the next few years they welcomed their two daughters Angela and Jessica. 

Together Mike and Sherril built a beautiful life and they purchased and lovingly cared for 3 family homes in downtown Puyallup.  Mike took pride in always having a nice yard and was often spotted by neighbors out mowing or weeding when they would come over to chat.  He enjoyed having a place where his loved ones could gather for family dinners, holidays and any other occasion.  Garage parties with family and friends happened often with good music, time spent together, games of cribbage being played and new memories being made.  It was always “5 o’clock Somewhere” and he was down for a good time. 

Along with his wife Sherril, Mike remained close to both of their daughters and included them in every life event.  They were both especially proud to become grandparents to Angela’s children; Lucas, Isabelle and Liam and dog Spencer and Jessica’s fur babies Tempe and Tali.  Mike loved his family very much and time spent with them meant the world to him; he enjoyed having family BBQs where he would often be the master of the grill making steaks, prime ribs and turkeys for holidays and other delicious foods for all to enjoy!  He was an amazing dad and spent a lot of time with his girls, Angela and Jessica, he never missed special events, loved to read bed time stories with silly voices and enjoyed spending time with them and his nephew Steven riding bikes around town, playing frisbee and flying kites in the field behind his parents house and watching movies and Saturday morning cartoons together.  In later years, Saturdays were spent with family going to garage sales, out to breakfast or lunch and shopping.  There were trips to Yakima each fall with his parents and family to pick tomatoes and other fresh fruits and vegetables for canning and making his dad’s homemade tomato juice.  His love of country music and dancing came from his parents and all the large family gatherings over the years.  Mike was a wonderful grandpa and loved spending time with his grandkids playing with them and watching them grow; he especially enjoyed seeing his grandsons Lucas and Liam play baseball at their games and granddaughter Isabelle learning new gymnastics skills.  He shared his love of Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean and all things Disney with his family and always found ways to have fun together!

Because of their dad, Leonard, both Mike and Tim developed a love of cars, especially the muscle cars of the 70’s.  They shared a yellow 1973 Plymouth Road Runner throughout their high school years and beyond.  In 2017, Mike proudly purchased another yellow car, a Dodge Challenger.  Mike was always close to his dad, especially in the last few years of Leonard’s life and spent many hours helping to restore his 1959 Oldsmobile Super 88 which he continued to rebuild with help from his son-in-laws, grandson Lucas, friends and his brother Tim after their dad’s passing. 

Mike worked at Kenworth Trucking for a few years after high school before he began his career at Boeing where he was employed in the Tooling and Engineering division for nearly 40 years.  He also worked as a correctional officer for a short time.  He was always a hard worker and when he became a manager at Boeing, he mentored countless employees throughout the years and made a lasting impact on all who worked as part of his teams through his leadership skills, positive attitude and ability to inspire others around him.  His daughter Jessica worked with him at Boeing for a few years as well.  He had many coworkers who became lifelong friends that he invited to his home often.  

Mike and Sherril loved to travel together, they went on a Caribbean Cruise and also greatly enjoyed when family and friends were with them on vacation to places like Las Vegas, Disneyland, South Dakota to visit family and Cancun.  Mike always enjoyed family road trips to Mt Rainier to play in the snow, Ocean Shores to play at the beach and fly kites or camping weekends in a few favorite local spots enjoying nature and relaxing by the campfire.  One last special trip to Oahu, Hawaii was enjoyed with his wife, children and grandkids just a few weeks before he passed.  Many wonderful memories were made on these vacations and there were always new experiences to be had.  

Mike enjoyed life to the fullest and always lived in the moment rather it be a happy hour get together with friends and family at a favorite local spot, skydiving for his 40th birthday, attending many concerts with Sherril, fishing out in the Puget Sound with friends, singing karaoke (Neon Moon and Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes are family favorite songs), dancing the night away or a quiet gathering at home spending quality time with loved ones.  He always greeted others with a smile and often a big hug, had great life advice to offer along with a listening ear and made friends wherever he went.  Everyone felt like they had known him forever even if they had just met for the first time.  He will be deeply missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing and loving him. 

Mike was preceded in death by his parents, Leonard and Shirley Rieger; father-in-law Douglas Fogle; several aunts and uncles and a few cousins. 

Survived by his loving wife, of 38 years, Sherril Rieger; daughter Angela and son-in-law Adam Johnson and grandchildren Lucas, Isabelle, and Liam Johnson; daughter Jessica and son-in-law Houston Simpson and their fur babies; brother Timothy (Annie) Rieger; nephew Steven Rieger and great nieces Shaelyn and Emmie Rieger; mother-in-law Diane Fogle; sister-in-law Marcia (Bob) Tschida; brother-in-law Mike Fogle and nieces and nephews Sydney, Ben and Katie Tschida and Jacob and Alaina Fogle as well as a large extended family of cousins, aunts and uncles and many close friends who he considered to be family. 

A celebration of Mike’s life will be held on Saturday August 3rd from 2:00 to 6:00 PM at the Puyallup Eagles located at 1106 East Main Ave Puyallup, WA 98372.  All who knew him are welcome to join us as we gather together to remember him and share memories, music and food.

Thank you to the friends, family, doctors and nurses who all helped to provide great care for Mike during his time at Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle, Tacoma General Hospital and at home with the Multicare Hospice Team.  Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to Fred Hutch Cancer Center or another cancer research charity of your choice in Mike’s memory.

Photos and memories you have of Mike can be shared as tributes to him at the bottom of the page.

Your Life Was A Blessing, 

Your Memory A Treasure, 

You Are Loved Beyond Words 

And Missed Beyond Measure