Justine Kelleher Talley, a long time area resident, died in Claremont on November 25, 2016.  She was 98 years old and her family shared that she remained caring and alert until her final days.

Justine Kelleher was born in Denver, Colorado in early spring 1918 to Clark and Margaret Kelleher. She spent her early years in Salida, Colorado and, in 1940, graduated from Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado where she met her future husband Richard Talley.

After college graduation, Ms. Talley taught school the following year—and enjoyed playing softball with the students—in a one-room school in Alamosa where the temperature did not rise above zero for over a month during a cold San Luis Valley winter. She and Richard were married in 1941 and he departed for his duties as a Navy officer on the West Coast and the Pacific during World War II.

Ms. Talley returned to Salida where her son Michael was born. Following her husband’s return from the war, the couple moved to Olathe, Colorado where twin daughters, Nancy and Susan, arrived a few years later. Ms. Talley taught in another rural school district while also busy with raising her young family. In the early 1950s, the family moved to Pomona, where daughters Teresa and Margaret joined the family over the next few years.

Justine joined General Dynamics where she was a valued member of the Contracts Department until her retirement in 1973. She later worked as a real estate agent and at Pilgrim Place in Claremont. Ms. Talley remained devoted to family activities, such as Camp Fire Girls and, in later years, to the care of her husband, Richard, who died in 2000.  She later moved to La Verne and then finally to Claremont Place Senior Living in 2011. At Claremont Place, she especially enjoyed playing trivia with other residents, since it enabled to use her sharp memory without being limited by her failing eyesight.

Ms. Talley is survived by her five children, Michael Talley, Nancy Saylor, Susan Dietz, Teresa Himes and Margaret Cisneros, and by 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. All have enjoyed listening to her stories of family and life in the Colorado Mountains during family parties over the years. She was preceded in death by her brother Lynn Kelleher of Woodland Hills and her sister Marie Perry of Denver.

The family would like to thank the staff of Claremont Place for their care during the almost six years she resided there. They would also like to thank the staff of Vitas Hospice for caring for her in her final days.

A service in Ms. Talley’s honor is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 7 at Todd Memorial Chapel, 325 Indian Hill Blvd., in Claremont. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Learning Ally, which assists visually impaired students. Interment will be at the National Cemetery in Riverside, California at a later date.