Riley Undergoes Back, Neck Surgery

Former Orange County Supervisor Thomas F. Riley was recovering Monday after nearly five hours of back and neck surgery to relieve painful compression of the spine, according to officials at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

“He’s doing well, he’s recovering,” clinic spokesman John LaForza said after speaking with Riley’s surgeon.

The former Marine Corps brigadier general was taken to the Mayo Clinic last Wednesday after suffering severe pain caused by bone spurs and soft tissue pressing on his spine--similar to the ailment that forced him into back surgery last year, officials said.

Riley, 83, was diagnosed as having stenosis of the upper spinal and neck area, LaForza said. The surgical procedures are called cervical and lumbar laminectomies, he said.

Riley’s wife, Emma Jane Riley, was at his side following surgery, and said her husband was doing well, according to LaForza. Emma Jane Riley also asked LaForza to express her thanks to friends and others who have offered support and well wishes.

The Newport Beach resident retired in December, 1994, after 20 years on the Board of Supervisors. He had been suffering leg pain and in recent weeks had been bedridden and needed a wheelchair to move around, his wife said.

He was rushed to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach last week after his leg pained worsened, and the following day was taken to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., by an air ambulance.