ABBEVILLE. . .Erma Ruth Riley, a resident of Abbeville, went to be with the Lord on June 20, 2026. She was 89.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at Liberty Methodist Church in Abbeville (Screamer), Alabama, with Reverend Tom Skeen officiating. The family will receive friends at the church one hour prior to the service. Burial will follow in the Gardens of Memory Cemetery in Headland, Alabama. Wright Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Liberty Methodist Church Memorial Fund in memory of Erma Riley, 341 County Road 92, Abbeville, AL 36310.
Mrs. Riley was born September 22, 1936, in Geneva, Alabama, to the late Lewis Gertrude Smith and Myrtie Ruth Baker Smith. She grew up in Geneva and graduated from Geneva High School in 1955. Following high school, she attended the Massey-Draughon Business College in Montgomery.
Erma met and married Kenneth L. Riley, Sr., and together they raised three children: Kenny, Cindy, and Michael. She was a dedicated homemaker for most of their 63 years of marriage. Their journey together took them to the Mojave Desert; Dothan, Alabama; Columbia, South Carolina; and Marietta, Georgia, before they eventually retired on Lake Eufaula in Abbeville.
Mrs. Riley loved supporting her husband, children, and grandchildren above all else. She was an expert at managing the household, a wonderful cook, always willing to host the neighborhood children and friends. She and Kenneth were charter members of Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dothan, where they served as MYF leaders for many years. More recently, she was an active member of Liberty Methodist Church. She was blessed with four wonderful grandchildren whom she adored and loved to feed any time they visited: Riley, McKenna, Rebekah, and Meghan.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth L. Riley, Sr.; her beloved son, Kenneth “Kenny” L. Riley, Jr.; her sisters, Ethelyn (Frank) Marsh, Mary Lois (Luther) Rinehart, Margaret (Duke) Moody, Juanita (Walter) McNeil, Kathleen (Bill) Hughes, and Betty (Edward) Parker; and her brothers, Bill Smith, Tom Smith, Ned Smith, Herbert Lamar Smith, and Ted Smith.
Leaving to cherish her memory are her daughter, Cindy (Scott) Klages of Eufaula, Alabama; her son, Michael (Ashley) Riley of Marietta, Georgia; her sister, Barbara Hogan of Decatur, Georgia; her grandchildren, Riley Klages, McKenna (Alex) Fowler, Rebekah (Shepherd) Waits, and Meghan (Connor) Frost; her great-grandchildren, Olivia Waits, Lawson Fowler, and Baker Frost; and numerous nieces, nephews, and dear friends.
The family extends their deepest gratitude to the caring staff at Henry County Health and Rehab in Abbeville, as well as Gentiva Hospice, with special thanks to Angie Jones.
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