This week has obviously been one of the toughest in my life. The death of my mother, Angela Piazza Turley, was not unexpected. She died a few days shy of her 98th birthday after a long struggle.
She was my inspiration and my North Star as a public interest lawyer. I dedicated my recent book to her as the person “who taught me that life is an unyielding passionate pursuit of justice.”
I was the baby of five kids and spent much of my childhood clinging on to her skirts for dear life as she confronted slum landlords, wife beaters, and gang bangers in the Uptown area.
As the Sun-Times reported, “Angela Piazza Turley’s backbone and willpower fueled positive change in Chicago for decades.”
She was the toughest person I have ever known. Growing up as a Sicilian coal miner’s daughter in the depression in Ohio, she learned how to fight hard to survive. My father and mother arrived in Chicago with less than $2 in their pockets at night in the dead of winter. They bought two cups of coffee (the only thing that they could afford). Before they left, my mother had a job as waitress.
Fresh from World War II, my father came to Chicago to study under Mies van der Rohe and became one of his closest associates. (He is buried near Mies at Graceland Cemetery). Even after my father became a partner in Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, my mother never forgot what it was to be dirt poor and spent her life helping others as a social worker, president of Jane Addams Hull House, and the founder of a myriad of public service groups in Chicago, including a community credit union to support local businesses and families.
She was fearless and fierce in fighting for others. She left a mark on Chicago in the lives of thousands who benefitted from her work over nine decades.
As I return to work, I wanted to say thank you to the thousands who have posted messages on my blog and my X account. I cannot express how much it has meant to me and my family. This has always been a community, but, in the last week, it felt more like an extended family. I read aloud many of your comments to my family and we felt that we were surrounded by thousands of loving arms. I never felt alone despite losing one of the central figures in my life.
I will be writing about my Mom next week as we prepare for her mass and funeral in Chicago on August 1-2 at St. Mary’s of the Lake Church on the Northside of Chicago. Until then, I can only say thank you, every one of you, for being there.
I Have always enjoyed your comments on the law and you reasoned and thoughtful demeanor as you explain various topics. Now I have an insight into your family and where it all started.
Prof. Turley – Condolences to you and your family.
I gotta say, 98 years is a nice run! Also, what a life your mom lived! That’s the way to do it – a rich and full life.
Thank you for all you do and continue to do. You are a good man.
Blessings and my prayers to you as you continue the pursuit of justice.
~Dr. Bern Jones, Tucson, AZ
I’m so sorry for your loss. Be well.
Your mother was a great and wonderful woman. Thank you for sharing in her experiences and legacy.
May your beautiful Mom Rest in Peace 🙏 🕊⚘️🫶
All the best Turley. The grief felt when a Mum passes is in a league of its own.
She belonged to the greatest generation. My Mom was the daughter of Ukranian immigrants and was working as a waitress when she met my Dad.
May she rest in peace and continue to to guide, guard and protect you, from her heavenly home.
Glad you are back in the saddle, JT. You were missed.
Mr. Turley,
When your mother arrives in the promised land, she will be beaming with pride and telling everybody she meets how proud she is of her son. You were blessed with a loving mother that instilled in you a very strong work ethic. It’s clear that she also taught you to do what is right, not what is easy, an ethos that in the legal field is too often brushed aside. Just know that your fans are thinking about you. It does get better after about six months.
Take care,
Dan Hartz
l thank her for teaching you that passionate pursuit of justice and thank you for pursuing it regardless of the potential cost of your reputation. I have not found many …
Being expected does not make it any easier. I have been there. God bless you with the strength you need.
Your family is amazing from both your mother and father. You’ve kept the tradition of being an outstanding help to ordinary people. May your mother rest in piece after raising such fine human beings.
You Mom must have been a beautiful woman and so is her son. Many prayers are said for you daily
Professor Turley, may God wrap you, and yours, in his loving arms and ease your hearts. 😢
I lost my mother the year after my father passed away. It-was-brutal. I was in my late 30s. My mother told me before she died, siempre estaré contigo (I will always be with you). She was right. Not a day goes by without me talking to her and/or mentioning her. When our mothers die, the relationship continues. She is still with you, Jonathan; she always will be.
Who can find a woman of worth?
Far beyond jewels is her value.
She rises while it is still night,
and distributes food to her household,
a portion to her maidservants.
She is clothed with strength and dignity,
and laughs at the days to come.
She opens her mouth in wisdom;
kindly instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household,
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed
Book of Proverbs Chapter 31
She sounds like an amazing woman and she instilled in you all the right values. You are a man of high principles which is rare today. God rest her soul🙏
I bet my beloved mother will show her the ropes in Heaven! We recently lost her just shy of her 99th. May your mother rest in the peace and safety of The Lord’s loving arms. So sorry for your loss.
Wish I could have known your mother. May she rest in eternal peace, and remain well remembered by many.
May she be at peace eternally and enjoy the presence of all whom she loved in her Father’s house.