Dee Riggleman

Arlington, Texas - A memorial for Dee and Tom Riggleman will take place Friday, July 29, at 10:00 a.m. at Advent Lutheran Church, 3232 S. Cooper St., in Arlington, TX. Dee and her husband Tom were members of that church for nearly 40 years. They participated in many ministries during that time. Both were known for their deep faith, and how much they inspired so many others to also lean on that faith.

Dee passed away on August 3, 2020, nearly four months to the day that her husband Tom passed. She was 93. She was born as Dolores Ciaramidaro on April 19, 1927 in Johnstown, PA. Known as Dee, she was a first generation American, as both her parents Philip Ciaramidaro and Anna Adornetto were born in Sicily and immigrated to the U.S. She was blessed with a beautiful soprano singing voice, and was encouraged by her high school teachers to attend The Juilliard School in New York. Instead she stayed close to her home in Johnstown, and fell in love with Tom Riggleman, an engineer with the Bethlehem Steel Corp. Dee and Tom were married on July 2, 1955 and would have three children, David, Gretchen, and Philip. Gretchen would pass away at the age of 47 in 2008 after a battle with cancer.

Dee was a wonderful homemaker for her family, but she also had a successful career outside the home. She was one of the top sales associates in fine dresses for Dillard's department stores, earning the title of "Pacesetter" on a regular basis.

Dee is survived by her son David of Las Vegas, NV, David's wife, Lisa, and their children, Gillan and Tom Riggleman, the grandchildren of Dee an Tom; son Philip Riggleman of Dallas; son-in-law Craig Ryason of Grapevine, his wife Holly, and his sons, Ron and Philip Ryason, also grandchildren of Dee and Tom; family member Chuck Bokros of Fort Worth; and nephew Gil Orr of Ohio, his wife, Sue, and their sons Doug and Greg.