Edna Riley Taormina, February 12, 1922 to November 15, 2022, died at the age of 100. She was born in Phenix City, AL as Edna Glovene Riley the 2nd of 7 children to James Hardy Wilburn Riley and Nancy Eliphair Brannon.
Edna married John Angelo Taormina of Akron, Ohio on July 2, 1942; a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne at Ft. Benning, GA after they met on a double blind date. They had a son, Larry, on April 11, 1943 and a daughter, Karen, on May 12, 1948. Karen passed in 2011 and they were a few weeks shy of their 79th anniversary when John (aka Terry) passed. Their marriage was not just one of longevity, but was forged of love and respect. Even in the last years, they could be seen walking together holding hands or sharing a bench with her head on his shoulder. In February 2022, Edna moved from the house that they shared since 1964 and relocated to a retirement village and passed, unexpectedly, of a stroke. Edna is survived by her son Larry Taormina (Janice), three siblings: James Hardy Riley of Cocoa, FL, Elsie Marie Barefoot of Gulf Shores, AL, and Gloria Faye Paradis of Wilmington, NC; three grandchildren: Teri Lynne Neiland (Bill), Tiffany Nicole Davis (Stevan), and Jonathan Walker (Laura); five great grandchildren: Clay and Callie Neiland, Nicolas and Noah Davis, and Emily Walker.
Edna changed her name twice (not liking her middle name) from Glovene to Gloria and then to Riley. She was an avid reader, a great bowler, and a devoted wife and mother. She attended Jordan Park Church of Christ.
You may visit with the family on Saturday, November 19, 2022 from 10:30am until 11:30am at Valhalla Funeral Home. Funeral Services will begin at 11:30am in Valhalla’s Celebration Chapel. Entombment will immediately follow at Valhalla Memory Gardens. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.valhallafunerals.com for the Taormina family.
