In Memory Of

Cory David Riesman

February 26, 1955 – June 4, 2009

My brother, Cory, was called by God and departed this earth on June 4, 2009. Not only was Cory my baby brother, he was my best friend.

Someone asked me, "why did this happen?" My first response was, "some things are not meant for us to know." That person pushed on for an answer and all I could say was, "maybe God got hungry and wanted Cory to cook for him!"

Cory was preceded in death by his father, Harry Riesman, and his son, Dustin Riesman, as well as grandparents, Ben & Pearl Riesman and Maurice & Ida Stine.

Cory is survived by his mother, Charlotte Riesman, sister Bonnie Riesman Berry and her two children, Jesse and Jennifer, as well as sister Lindy Riesman and her daughter, Rachel.

Cory is also survived by three children with his wife, Terry Riesman, who are Jason Riesman, Ashley McGill and Brittnie Riesman. Cory also had a life partner, Carla Durden, who had 5 daughters when they met, Aubrey, Aletha, Desiree, Jordanna and Jessica. So, I guess it is appropriate to say that Cory had eight children, which amounted to one big blended family, including grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Cory loved nature and animals, especially reptiles. In fact, he was the first "herper" I knew. As young kids, we used to play at White Rock Creek. He would catch snakes and lizards, and I would catch turtles and frogs. What fun we had!

Cory was an avid fisherman, enjoyed making stained glass projects and was a gourmet chef. He related to a lot of music.

But most of all, he loved the people he surrounded himself with.

In many ways, Cory was a complicated yet simple man. Instead of being angry at someone for something they did or said, he always tried to understand why they did or said these things. We had many conversations over the years about this. In the end, he came to understand that some things are just better left alone and unanswered. Towards the end, he kept pondering the question, "why." And to this question, he would not come to understand, because he could not get an answer.

This year, 2009, Cory was on a mission, of sorts. He told me he had some goals in mind. He wanted to attend the trial of the horrible monster responsible for his son Dustin’s death. He wanted to go to Dallas and see some people and friends, set some things straight and get some answers. He wanted to walk his daughter, Ashley, down the aisle, he wanted to see his younger daughter, Brittnie graduate from high school, and he wanted to come to Little Rock to see me over Memorial weekend.

The trial finally took place, five years after Dustin was murdered, with a final conviction that this murderer spend many years in prison.

Cory did go to Dallas to see many of his friends, and enjoyed every minute with them. He was so glad to spend time with his childhood and long time best friend Randy, and other people he had known.

Cory did see his mother and sister. He wanted to know "why." Of course, he never got an answer to that question. He died very sad about that situation, because he just couldn’t understand "why." Perhaps that is something the people involved in that scenario can search their hearts for.

Ashley was married on April 11th and Cory proudly walked her down the aisle. In a video made of the wedding, Cory told Josh (Ashley’s husband) that "Ashley did not come with a warranty and there were no returns!" That was one of his happiest moments, as Cory came to love Josh very much and thought he was the perfect man for his daughter.

Brittnie graduated on May 21st. Cory was so proud that day. Although he was quite ill and in the hospital, he was so proud of Brittnie. We asked the nurse if we could take him to her graduation ceremony in a wheel chair, but the nurses advised against it. The family attended Brittnie’s graduation and afterwards, Brittnie went to the hospital in her cap and gown to show her daddy her diploma.

Cory wasn’t able to make it to Little Rock on Memorial weekend, as he was in the hospital in St. Louis. Before Cory was transferred to St. Louis, I was there with him in the hospital in Branson. I stayed with him every day and slept in his room every night. We had a lot of quality time together, laughing and crying, and had many long soul-searching talks.

Although Cory has now departed from this earth physically, he will always be here in our hearts.

My parting words as I spoke to Cory after his funeral were, "I’m not going to say goodbye, I’ll say au revoir, until we meet again, and we will meet again."

At this time, I would like to thank Randal, Jesse and Jennifer for their constant support while I was going through this awful ordeal. I would also like to thank Cory’s children, Jason, Ashley and Brittnie for calling me so often and letting me show my love for them.

Some Of Cory’s

Favorite Quotes