Shawna L. Riley

Shawna Leigh Riley, age 34, passed away at Paoli Hospital in Paoli, Pennsylvania on May 29, 2020.  She was predeceased by her father, Buster Riley, and is survived by her beloved mother, Beverly Riley, and close extended family, including her aunt and uncle, cousins and their children.  She lived with her best friend and partner, Mark Umandap, and their beloved dog, Jack, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

In 2009, Shawna graduated with a B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Delaware and graduated cum laude from the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law in 2019, receiving numerous other academic recognitions during her time in law school.  In 2019, she began practicing corporate law as an Associate at Bayard, P.A., a law firm located in Wilmington, Delaware.

Shawna was an avid reader, exceptional writer, and advocate for justice and women's empowerment.  She loved all dogs, the television series Friends, the Marvel Universe, Game of Thrones, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Louboutin heels.  During the COVID-19 stay-at-home period, she took an interest in assembling LEGO sets, often sharing finished projects with friends and family and competing with her aunt and uncle in LEGO set difficulty.  She also cherished spending time with Mark, especially on their walks with Jack, and the three of them were ready to begin the next chapter of their lives together.  Shawna was loved by everyone.

In lieu of flowers, the Riley family and Mark believe Shawna would have wanted donations to a charitable cause, specifically to help save the lives of animals.  They request any willing donations be made in memory of Shawna Riley to the Morris Animal Refuge, 1242 Lombard Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147—the organization Shawna had most recently contributed.

To make a donation in Shawna's memory online, please follow the instructions below after following this link: https://www.morrisanimalrefuge.org/donate

(1) Please select a pre-determined amount or enter a custom amount.

(2) Next, check the box for "Specific Program" then select "In honor of" as the donation type.

(3) Please manually enter the name "Shawna Riley".  Well wishes are welcomed and can be shared in the optional comments box directly underneath her name.  Additionally, if you would like to include with your donation a separate card to the Riley family and Mark, please simply indicate so by writing “send card to family” in the optional comments box.  All cards will be sent to the Riley family home address.

(4) Please continue the next steps in entering your individual information and payment, then finalize.  Your donation in honor of Shawna is very appreciated.

A memorial service will be held for Shawna at the Gebhart Funeral Home in New Castle, Delaware this Saturday, June 6th.  Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, attendance for the in-person service will be limited.  To accommodate those who would like to attend, the service will be available via Zoom and access information will be circulated later this week—we hope you will join us in celebrating the life of Shawna.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Shawna L. Riley, please visit our floral store.