Jeri Lyn

Jeri Lyn Rieken, beloved wife, mother and grandmother, passed away on April 2, 2016 at age 65 in Houston. Her death followed a lengthy battle with breast cancer. Born on April 26, 1950 in Lubbock, Jeri was the only child of Tony and Ruth Rieken who precede her in death. She was raised on family farms and attended New Deal schools, excelling in sports and extracurricular activities. A graduate of Texas Tech University, Jeri earned her master's degree in Home Economics from there. Balancing single-parent responsibilities with care for her elderly parents, Jeri possessed energy and determination to pursue interests outside the home. She became a respected author, researcher and efficiency expert. Her numerous peer-reviewed publications, grant-sponsored research projects, and employment in university, non-profit and private sector management positions all reflected her wide-ranging interest in human sciences. Her 400-page Succeeding on Your Own: Goals, Resources and Decisions was the best-selling textbook in its field for many years, and was used widely in public schools throughout the United States. The achievements of which she was most proud centered on her family, and the title she most treasured, invoked by her grandchildren, was "Mimi". She will be missed by her family and by a wide circle of friends. Jeri is survived by her husband James Speer of Fulshear, daughter Amy Lyn Haggard and her husband Paul O'Connell of Rosasharon, and son Justin Chad Haggard and wife Patty Showalter Haggard and their four children Benjamin, Gabriel, Isaac and Evelyn, also of Fulshear. A Celebration of Life memorial in Fulshear will be held on April 23 from 2-5 PM at the Cross Creek Ranch Welcome Center. Donations are suggested to the American Cancer Society (http://main.acsevents.org/goto/Jeri_Lyn)