I am struggling to write a kind note about Veronica. She was our neighbor for as long as we’ve lived in Boynton (11 years?), but I had never actually met her until about 2 months before her death. She was the wife of Bill Riley, the neighbor who had committed suicide a couple years ago.

Seeing Veronica as she was in December really opened my eyes to the need of Christ in everyone’s lives. She denied him, but I think He could have saved her had she turned to Him. She was lonely and scared, but she chose alcohol over God. I really wish things could have turned out differently for her… she could have found a new husband and a new faith- she could have had a future. Instead, she drank herself to death…

I wish we could have done more.


Riley, Veronica E., 59, of Boynton Beach, died Feb. 1. Tillman Funeral Home, West Palm Beach.