Madelyn Kathleen
was the second and youngest child born to Earl Darrell & the late Kathleen Darrell Wales on October 21st, 1948. Her brother, Wendell, pre–deceased her in 1978.
She spent her early childhood growing up in Warwick Parish where she attended Purvis Primary School and Prospect High School.
After leaving school, Madelyn worked several jobs where she met and made several lifelong friends. During this time she met and married Maurice Riley and they were blessed with her son, Steven Riley, and twin daughters, Shelley and Sherry. Her daughter, Sherry, pre-deceased her and at this time she took three years off from work to raise her children. Anyone that knew Madelyn knew her children were her world. She fully adored her children and lived her life for them. She was a very strong disciplinarian; just ask her son, Steven, no one in the whole family was punished more than him and he was not even a bad child but she never let any deed go unpunished.
Madelyn firmly believed in a sense of strong guidance and a good upbringing. Once her children were grown and in school she went back to work at Hayward's in Warwick where she would spend nearly 25 years. While at Hayward's she made several friends whom many were still in her life right up to her passing. After her time at Hayward's, she moved to her last place of employment at White's & Sons in Warwick. Madelyn was a hard worker and even worked two jobs at times.
She later met and married Wesley Simmons and took her family and moved to Somerset where she would spend the rest of her life making her home there, first in Spring Benny and then into her family home on Sound View Road. When she moved to Somerset she took up the game of golf and became an avid golfer and hardly missed a Sunday out on the golf course. People visiting her home would see the many awards she won playing golf. Another favorite of Madelyn's was cricket; she was a regular at the Annual Cup Match Classic and would be one of the first to arrive on each day of the Cup Match Classic.
The only Cup Match that we can recall her ever missing was the year her son, Steven, was born as he arrived 6 weeks earlier than he was suppose to, and trust me, she reminded him all the time that he made her miss a Cup Match . Madelyn also was an avid Test Match supporter and followed her beloved West Indies. She would travel for many years throughout the Caribbean to Test Match Games. Her favorite Islands were St. Lucia and Barbados, and when they were making plans for the next Test Match, Madelyn would always say "count me in".
Family was important to Madelyn as she would always be at the forefront when it came to planning family events, she really enjoyed the Symons' Family bowling tournament and picnics, and she always made sure that we did the family church and brunch day.
Another love of Madelyn's was traveling and she traveled every year to the Labor Day festivities in New Jersey. She would tell you she has not missed a Labor Day in New Jersey for twenty plus years. Madelyn also enjoyed cruises with her family and friends. Her last cruise was August, 2008 to celebrate her 60th birthday which her daughter, Shelley, fully organized and surprised her with many onboard activities. Madelyn also enjoyed her trips to Las Vegas and Hawaii as well.
Madelyn's biggest love was entertaining; she loved to entertain her family and friends and if you ask anyone around, they would tell you her peas & rice as definitely one of her specialties and whenever an event was being planned everyone knew that Madelyn had the peas & rice covered. Boxing Day was Madelyn's favorite day to entertain and she loved to make several dishes. You can bet for sure that there would be plenty of food on hand to offer when you came to visit her home and most everyone left well-fed with smiles all across their faces.
One of her proudest moments was seeing her son walk across the stage last summer to collect his degree at his graduation. She was also one of Steven's biggest supporters in his bowling and would always look forward to collecting a charm for her charm bracelet from all of his travels around the world. She was as equally proud of her daughter, Shelley; for all that she was doing with her life and the reading program she started for the young children of Bermuda. Shelley would always tell people she had the best childhood ever. She was surely one PROUD mother. One of Shelley's cherished moments was the trip her mother took her on to the Bahamas to celebrate her 21st birthday with just the two of them. Shelley always said it was her best birthday ever.
Madelyn really enjoyed life and made several friends all over the island as she was a very sociable person and people connected with her from all walks of life. Although the last years of her life she suffered much pain from her illness, Madelyn's ZEST for life never slowed her down and she never complained when she was in pain, she would just get up and go about her business. Madelyn was truly a woman of elegance and always put her children first, even right up to the end she was still worrying about her children.
While she was the one lying in the hospital bed in pain, she was still making sure her children were okay. Madelyn fought to the very end and passed from this life at Johns Hopkins Hospital on March 13th, 2009 with her beloved children at her side.
Madelyn will be sorely missed by her children, Steven and Shelley Riley; Uncles Robert (Iris) and Howard (Jill), Aunts Lois Jacobs, Janet Williams, Loris Neverson, Norma Richardson and Jackie Smith. Sisters-in-law: Joyce Dickens of North Carolina, Donna Smith and Diane Hunt. Brother-in-law: Glen Simmons. Nephew: Karomoko Dickens of Maryland. Godchildren: Annberry Ramirez, Mark Smith and Shannell Reece. Special sister: Alexis Terrell of New Jersey. Special friends: Cynthia Simons, Carol Jean Todd, Lisa Roy, Thelma Raynor, Betty Iris, Eleanor Crockwell, Jennifer Bulford, Camille Baker, Charles Hardtman, Calvin Butterfield, Sharon Scott, Adrina Jones, Valerie & Grass Oliphant, special adopted son, Quinton Perinchief and the Prison Officers' family ; and the rest of her New Jersey family, numerous other relatives and friends both here and abroad.
May She Rest In Peace
