Ex-Supervisor Riley Recovering From Foot Operation, Wife Says

NEWPORT BEACH — As former Orange County Supervisor Thomas F. Riley recovered from a foot amputation, his wife said Friday she can’t help but worry that she and her ailing husband “are running out of time.”

Riley, 84, of Newport Beach has seen his health deteriorate over the past several years. His his left foot was amputated on Monday due to a painful infection caused in part by chronic diabetes, his wife said. He was in stable condition at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian.

“He’s in good spirits and recovering well,” said hospital spokeswoman Maureen Mazzatenta, who said it’s unclear when Riley may be discharged. “There’s been no release date set yet.”

Emma Jane Riley said she is hoping for a quick recovery but quietly acknowledged the severity of her husband’s health problems--and her anguish. She said she is cherishing each moment the pair have together.

“It has been very disheartening to have lived a long time with someone and he’s had a very distinguished career and then to have it end this way,” Emma Jane Riley said Friday. “We’re running out of time. We don’t have another chance like some people. We’re there.”

The retired Marine Corps general had represented the 5th District--the “fabulous fifth,” as he called it--since his 1974 appointment by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan. He retired in December 1994 as board chairman.

His attention to detail was well known, as was his dedication to his office. Riley rarely missed a meeting and was often the first supervisor to arrive in the morning, typically before 8 a.m.

In his final days in office, however, the board filed for bankruptcy after a series of investments lost $1.64 billion, creating the largest insolvency in municipal history. Riley acknowledged he should have done more to try to prevent the financial disaster.

Riley’s health has been failing in recent years. On New Year’s Eve 1990, he underwent quadruple-bypass heart surgery. In December 1993, he suffered a painful foot infection requiring a hospital stay.

In late 1994, he had back surgery to relieve pinched nerves and a year later was rushed to the emergency room because a growth near his spine was causing excruciating pain. Last year, a toe on his left foot was amputated, Emma Jane Riley said.

“The General,” as he is fondly known, suffers from diabetes, emphysema and asthma, Emma Jane Riley said. He has difficulty walking and at times has been completely bedridden, unable to move his arms and legs, she said.

Since his health began declining in recent years, “He’s never fully recovered,” Emma Jane Riley said.

She said her husband is receiving special treatment requiring several hours a day in an oxygen chamber to speed his recovery after the amputation.

“It’s been a very difficult time,” Emma Jane Riley said. “You just have to take it one day at a time, enjoy it, because I don’t know what’s going to happen next. But his spirits are quite good.”