Mary Ellen Rieger, 71 of Evans, died after losing her battle to cancer on Wednesday, June 20, 2007 at the Hospice & Palliative Care of Northern Colorado Inpatient Unit. She was born on April 6, 1936 in Greeley to William E. and Mary J. (Sobeck) Cozad. Mary graduated from Pierce High School in 1954 . Following graduation she worked for Van Why and Sons in Pierce. While working for Van Why and Sons she met her future husband Richard P. Rieger. They were married on August 16, 1959 in Pierce. They moved to the Leadville and Climax, Colorado areas where they lived & had 3 children until moving back to the Greeley/Evans area in 1968. She worked for the Weld School District #6 as the Food Service Manager for Chappelow Schools. She worked there from 1974 until her retirement in 2005. Mrs. Rieger loved caring for others and she enjoyed going to and hosting garage sales, gardening, entertaining friends and family and serving others as a volunteer for Meals on Wheels. She was a member of the Pierce Birthday Club and a long standing member of the Evans United Methodist Church where she taught and assisted with various methods of service including bible school. Survivors include 2 daughters, Jeanette Lambert of Pensacola, Florida and Sharon Nelson and her husband David of Parker, Colorado; a son, William "Bill" Rieger of Evans; 2 grandchildren, Amber Leigh Lambert and Matthew Ryan Lambert both of Pensacola; 3 sisters, Dorothy Eubank and husband Jerry of Ft. Collins, Alice Palmer of Anchorage, Alaska and Nancy Long and husband Russ of Greeley; 2 brothers, Jim Cozad and wife Marcia of Pierce and Kenneth Cozad and wife Linda of Twin Falls, Idaho. She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Richard P. Rieger on February 19, 2006 and a brother, Edward Cozad. A funeral service to celebrate Mary's life will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday at the Evans United Methodist Church (39th & Empire in Evans). Visitation will be from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. on Friday at the Moser Funeral Service Chapel, 3501 S. 11th Avenue in Evans. Memorial gifts may be made to the Evans United Methodist Church or to the charity of your choice in care of Moser Funeral Service, 3501 S. 11th Avenue, Evans, Colorado 80620.