Meeting Riley

This website is dedicated to the memory of my son Riley Edward Heller.  He left this world on May 2, 2007 at the tender age of 26.  He was a kind, softspoken and gentle person.  He was not only my son but my best friend and I will always love him.  He will be missed always by those who knew him. Though he was one in this world, he truly did mean the world to us. 

Riley was the youngest of our children.  He was named after three of his grandfathers.  His first name was after my mother's father, Riley Ellis. 

My mother used to tell me stories of how proud my grandfather was of his Irish heritage and how he used to play the organ and sing irish songs in the most beautiful tenor voice you've ever heard.  I passed the same stories to my son and he developed a great pride and love of Ireland.  He always wore a shamrock necklace and tattooed a clover on the side of his neck.  Hanging on his wall was a silver 4 leaf clover.  His last tattoo was the fighting irish symbol on his arm.  He had a multitide of irish shirts which various family members now wear proudly.  Riley's middle name was after my father and his grandfather on his father's side.

Riley was born on Christmas Eve, 1980.  He didn't like his birthday being so close to Christmas, rightly so.  Having a birthday so close to Christmas somehow made him feel cheated.  When he was a young boy we tried to celebrate his birthday early so it was separate from Christmas.  Of course when Christmas Eve rolled around he would always remind us that this day was really his birthday and he should get a birthday present again.  As the years rolled on we eventually celebrated his birthday on his real birthday.

For some reason, even from the time he was born I always felt Riley was somehow special.  I don't know if it was because he was a Christmas baby or even why I felt that way.  From the time I brought him home from the hospital he rarely cried, slept all night early on and always had a smile on his face.  When he smiled, he lit up the entire room.  He had the most beautiful smile and the heartiest contagious laugh. When he started laughing with that laugh of his, everyone laughed with him. 

Although Riley never liked that he was born on Christmas Eve, to me he was the greatest gift I could ever have received.  In the picture below is my baby sitting on Santa's lap.

Riley had an older sister, Tonya whom he was always very close to.  She was like a second mother to him always looking out for his welfare.  He had a half brother Jay who didn't live with us and his brother Charles whom he always tried to follow and tag a long.  When Riley was in elementary school he often would pick on an older and larger kid then run to his brother, knowing Charles would protect him.  In the picture below are my three kids with a neighbor boy in the back.

 I liked to call Riley my "little man", because of his small size.  He was very small for his age.  Once when we were eating out I noticed he was looking elsewhere with tears in his eyes.  When I asked him what was wrong he pointed at a tiny white haired man who couldn't have been over 5' 0 " , if that. He said to me, "that's what I'm going to look like isn't it?"  I tried my best to reassure my son that boys can grow until they are 21 years old and he himself will probably grow to be 6' tall.  As it turned out, I was wrong, Riley stopped growing at 5'3", same height as me.  When he and I got together we could always see each other eye to eye.  It was great.  Oh, how I miss my Little man.

Riley played baseball for a few years in elementary school.  In the picture above he is sitting in the front row, second from left. He was 11 or 12 years old in these photos.

Riley and his brother Charles went to the local amusement park and had this picture taken.  Charlie was with his girlfriend and her friend went along.  Riley thought it was pretty cool to be at the park with his brother and the two girls.

One of the special things about Riley was his love for animals.  If he could have lived on a farm he would have been in heaven because then he could bring home and keep all the stray cats he wanted.  His brother loved to bring home the stray dogs, once putting them in the neighbors fenced in yard so they couldn't get away.  Of course we had to find the owners and return them.  We raised cocker spaniel pups for several years as seen in the picture below.  Back in 1990 Riley's dad let him pick out a kitten to bring home to me.  We named her Misty and she is still with me today.  Everytime she sits with me I remember that Riley picked her out.

Riley's first apartment was very small.  You could practically walk from one end of the apartment to the other in about 10 steps.  He was so proud of that place, because it was his first real step to independence.  He had a cat when he moved in he named Snuggles.  That first winter he spotted a small black stray cat that was soon to have a litter.  Riley felt sorry for her and couldn't help himself and soon took her in. She had six kittens and then there were eight cats in his apartment.  The cat below is one Riley kept for awhile.  He named her Treasure but had to find her a new home as he was moving and could only take one cat. My mother took her in and changed her name to sassy.  Riley's girlfriend at the time, and mother to his daughter Makayla still has two of the kittens from that litter and his friend has another.  Though Riley is no longer here with us, it's nice to know that we can still take care of a few of those things that he loved so much.

Christmas has always been my favorite Holiday.  In the picture below I am with one of the greatest gifts I ever received, my son.

Riley was often shy and quiet but he definately had a quirky side to him.  He would go out of his way to make us laugh.  He loved to have a good time just being goofy as in the pictures below.  He used to call me late at night and say things most sons wouldn't say to their moms.  He would do it in such a way that all I could do was laugh.  I would give anything to have those phone calls again and hear his voice. 

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The next couple of pictures show Riley displaying his irish tattoos.

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I had to scrapbook a couple of pages of Riley and some Irish poems that he was so proud of.  Somehow he almost looks like a litttle Lephrecan in the photo below. 

Riley deep in thought...

We always had such good times getting together.  Riley was close to his sister and brother and was very fond of Crissy, Charlies' wife. He used to tell me she is so easygoing and nice.  His nieces and nephews loved him and still ask about him. 

This picture is me and my boys.  I met the kids at a small pub and we had a good time just being together for a couple of hours.  Since I live in a different state than my kids and Tonya lives a 2 hr. drive away, we don't get together as often as we'd like.

As I said earlier, Riley had a gorgeous smile.   I hope he is smiling in heaven. 

This is actually the last photo of me and Riley together.   I worked that day then drove 7 hours to Des Mones so didn't look very good, but I'm so thankful that this picture was taken.

I always said I felt Riley was a special angel, now he truly is one.  I miss you Riley.  Love, Mom