Claudia Roberta Riedel

Claudia Roberta Reid-Riedel of Powder Springs, Georgia, passed away peacefully on the morning of Saturday, September 5, 2026, at the age of 83.

Claudia was born on November 15, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York, to Henry Reid and Delcina Keazer Reid. Raised by a single mother in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, she was the eldest of three sisters, followed by Jennifer and Louisa. She faced racial prejudice throughout her early years but that did not deter her. She pursued knowledge and opportunity with an unshakeable determination that defined her journey.

Louisa introduced her to John Herbert Riedel. They married, and she moved from Brooklyn to Massapequa, Long Island, where they started a family and raised their four children; Christina, Kurt, Nicholas and Carl.

Claudia began her professional life in fashion and art before finding her way to education, although she never truly left her artistic side behind. She had a keen eye, she understood art and furniture and design, form and shapes and collected antique furniture. She could tell you why a room worked and why it didn’t. Aesthetics mattered to her, and she saw it where other people walked past.

While raising her four children, she went back to school, earning several degrees and later teaching as an adjunct professor at The College of New Rochelle, St. Francis College and Long Island University. Claudia believed very deeply in the value of education and made sure her children and her students fully appreciated and understood its value.

She taught writing and cared deeply about handwriting and typography. She valued precision in both speech and writing. She approached her days with the fierce conviction that idle hands were the devil’s playground! She taught her children to work hard, to always do their best, to keep on learning, and above all, to persevere. An avid reader, she was rarely without a book close at hand.

Claudia was deeply engaged in political and community life. She supported many organizations working to advance the rights of African Americans and regularly volunteered to register voters. She brought a conviction and commitment to this work which mirrored the abiding principles and passions that guided all that she did.

She found ways to channel her passions into activities that brought her joy. She loved to travel. She rarely cooked, but when she did, it was extraordinary. You cannot know the meaning of delicious unless you have tried her quiche and her macaroni and cheese! She knew trees and plants the way other people knew old friends and could name almost anything growing in front of her. And when she danced, she was unstoppable.

Claudia was formidable. Brilliant, disciplined, and firm in her convictions, she was always looking over the horizon for new opportunities, she set high expectations for herself and for her children. She was the same in friendship as in everything else. Once she claimed you as hers, she let nothing and no one come between you. Her determination shaped everything she built and everyone around her.

Her children each knew her in their own way, and they knew that she loved them. They carry her influence in their lives and families they have built and would not be who they are today without her.

She was a woman of faith.

There was no one else like her, and there never will be.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Henry Reid and Delcina L. Keazer Reid, and her husband, John Herbert Riedel.

She is survived by her four children, Christina Maria Riedel Grice of Powder Springs, Georgia, Kurt Jorge Riedel of Lawrenceville, Georgia, Nicholas John Riedel of Rego Park, New York, and Carl Herbert Riedel of Prosper, Texas; her sisters, Jennifer A. Reid-Bohanan of Gainesville, Florida, and Louisa A. Reid of Fernandina Beach, Florida; her nephew, Joshua M. Bohanan; her sixteen grandchildren, Caitlyn Elizabeth Riedel-Ballard, Dennis Lamar Grice III, David John Grice, Nicholas Price, Alanna Price, Jayden Harvey, Kurt Riedel, Jr., Nova Riedel, Travis John Riedel, Alyssa Danielle Riedel, Anthony Michael Riedel, Yasmina Homidova, Johnathan Nicholas Homidova, Madison Nicole Riedel, Charlee Autumn Riedel, and Caiden Jackson Riedel; and a wide circle of family and friends whose lives she touched.

A memorial gathering will be held Friday, September 18, 2026, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. at West Cobb Funeral Home & Crematory, 2480 Macland Road SW, Marietta, Georgia 30064. A celebration of life will follow in the chapel from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Deacon Bruce Reed will officiate. A reception will follow at the family home. Please contact the family for reception details.