Gloria June Monies Reiley

Gloria June Monies Reiley passed away peacefully under home hospice care on January 30, 2023. Born the fifth of six children in May of 1927, Gloria grew up in the Springfield neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida, graduated from Andrew Jackson High School and dearly loved her parents, brothers and sisters.

In the 1940’s, Gloria performed professionally for the United Service Organizations entertaining troops across northeast Florida’s then five military bases. As the story goes, a young naval navigator, Ed, saw Gloria performing at the Officers Club and remarked to his buddies, “That’s the woman I’m going to marry.”

In her first chapter as an adult, Gloria was a faithful wife to her husband, Ed Reiley, and together they lovingly raised five children. In the next chapter, she enjoyed a 20-year career as an executive assistant at Harte-Hanks Direct Marketing. She also founded WIRK, Inc., Rent•A•Fish, Inc. and Pied Piper PlayCare, Inc. Not ready to retire, she then enjoyed an additional 20-year career as a professional nanny for two much-beloved families. In 1996, she retired beside the ocean in Jacksonville Beach. 

More importantly, Gloria loved spending time with her family. Early in her marriage, she and Ed made a strategic decision. Instead of joining a country club with the little “fun” money that they had, they decided to build a little yellow lake cabin with their bare hands on Lake Geneva in Keystone Heights. The reason behind this is that she and Ed wanted their house to be where all of their sons' and daughter’s friends would gather. She was so deep of heart that when she learned of children with no where to go, she would open her own home to them. This occurred repeatedly over the years. She also enjoyed crafting, operating dangerous power tools and spending countless hours creating games and toys for children. 

Gloria is survived by her sons,  Edward “Champ” Langley Reiley, III (Sharon) and Declan Harp Reiley. She is also survived by 10 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her parents, John Sydney Monies and Beatrice Geri Monies, five brothers and sisters, her husband of 49 years, Edward Langley Reiley Jr., and her adult children, Gloria Colleen Curtin, Michael Courtland Reiley (Debra) and Timothy Shane Reiley (Audrey). 

The family would like to express appreciation and gratitude for the fine care that Gloria received at Beaches Baptist Medical Center and Community Hospice of Northeast Florida. 

A Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 am, Saturday, February 11, 2023 at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Jacksonville Beach. A reception will follow in the Family Life Center.