Riley Is in Good Spirits Despite Foot Amputation

NEWPORT BEACH — Former Orange County Supervisor Thomas F. Riley remained in good spirits Saturday and said he is slowly recovering from a foot amputation at a local hospital.

“I’m feeling tremendously well,” said Riley, 84. “It’s just one of those things that happens to you once in a while.”

Riley, of Newport Beach, underwent surgery last week after doctors determined that his chronic diabetes had in part caused a painful infection in his left foot. He spent Saturday seeing visitors and fielding phone calls at his room at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian.

“I think the good Lord has been very good to me,” Riley said. “I have my friends here today, and that’s very special to me.”

It was unclear Saturday how long Riley will remain at the hospital.

Emma Jane Riley said she hopes her husband will make a quick recovery, although she somberly added that his deteriorating health has severely weakened him.

Riley suffers from diabetes, emphysema and asthma, his wife said. His health began declining in 1990 when he underwent quadruple-bypass heart surgery. In December 1993, he suffered a painful foot infection requiring a hospital stay. And in the last two years, he has undergone a series of spinal surgeries.

Currently, Riley is receiving special treatment requiring several hours a day in an oxygen chamber to speed his recovery after the amputation, Emma Jane Riley said.

The retired Marine Corps general represented the 5th District for 20 years before he retired in 1994. He was well regarded for his keen eye for detail and putting in long hours at the county office.

In his final days in office, however, the county filed for bankruptcy after a series of investments lost $1.64 billion, creating the largest municipal insolvency in U.S. history.