Meet Jim and Mary (Klemme) Riehle, both Central Catholic graduates from the Class of 1984! Jim and Mary met at CC in 1980 after they matriculated from St. Lawrence School and St. Boniface School. “Back then, few of us knew each other from ‘the other school.’ There were parties about every weekend with lots of socializing going on and it was there that I met this guy with an amazing sense of humor, very kind and hard-working, and a faithful Catholic,” said Mary. “We were married in 1989 and have been married for 32 years.”
After high school, Jim went on to begin his own residential and light commercial building company, Dimensional Builders, Inc. (DBI), and took care of the facility needs at St. Lawrence Church and School for over 20 years. Mary graduated from IUPUI and worked for six wonderful years at Haan & Miskunas Advertising, owned by another CC grad, Joyce (Haan) Weintraut. After their second child was born, Mary began freelancing as a graphic designer and running the DBI office to stay at home to raise their growing family. When their youngest was in high school, Mary began working at St. Thomas Aquinas. During these years, Jim and Mary had five children: Claire (CC 2011), Mary Kate (CC 2013), Lizzi (CC 2015), Kristen (CC 2021), and Joe (CC 2023), who have all or will be graduating from St. Lawrence Elementary School and CC. The children include two Purdue grads, one Ball State grad, one attending IU, and one at CC. Their five children have been in a great variety of activities at the schools and have kept life interesting with academic events, scouting, musicals, sports, and band!
How did your education at LCSS prepare you for college and your career and help shape your faith?
LCSS prepared us for life after high school by showing us the importance of being life-long learners as you keep Jesus first, others second, and yourself third. Regular religion classes and sacraments help you to understand and experience the beauty of the Catholic faith. Being around religious priests, sisters, and a community of people that all share your faith strengthens this understanding and provides a support system throughout your entire life.
What are your favorite memories of LCSS?
Jim and Mary graduated from CC in 1984 and came back with their first Kindergartner in 1999. After 15 years, there were still many familiar faces, which was fun, and many new, exciting things happening at CC! A new junior high addition and auxiliary gym were being built and uniforms were being worn. As a Mom with five kids, I loved the idea of uniforms...so easy! When our oldest started at CC in 2007, the beautiful St. Joseph chapel was built and a new spiritual energy came with it! Our five kids have so many different interests and, as a result, we participated in so many different areas at CC. Because of the hard work of so many teachers, staff, and coaches, and the dedication of hard-working students, we are blessed with so many special memories. Academic super bowls, National History days, girls' soccer winning their first-ever Hoosier Conference title, basketball games, an amazing production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, band Christmas Shows, girls' volleyball winning their first state title, Masses with the entire LCSS student body in McHale Gym, and all the events leading up to being an Eagle Scout are just some of the many cherished memories that we will take with us in May of 2023, as our last CC grad throws his cap into the air.
