Tyler Michael David Riva

Tyler was born in Savannah Georgia, USA on February 23 and came home to our family on April 21, 1999, the most important day of our lives. He is survived by his parents, Rhonda and Michael, his Auntie Maxine, Uncle Dale and Auntie Valerie, Uncle Tim and Auntie Cootchie, Aunts Susan, Nancy and Merle and Uncles Ray and Jim, many cousins and many, many friends he considered family.

Tyler was a force of life. He walked and talked early and never missed an opportunity to experience something new. He was fearless, hard to keep up with and was the greatest joy of our lives.

In his youth, Tyler excelled at sports and he tried every sport you can think of. He started BMX racing at 5 years old and at six he was named Rider of the Year. Tyler played hockey, lacrosse, rugby, soccer and basketball, he skied and joined the swim, judo, Tai Kwon Do and MMA clubs.

And then there was football, his favorite. Tyler played minor football starting as a 7-year-old and in grade 8 began his 5-year career as a VSS Panther. That first year there were not enough players at the first practice to field a team and Coach Smith issued an ultimatum that there had to be more players by the next practice or there would be no team. So, Tyler and some of his cronies set out on a recruiting mission and found enough guys to make a team that eventually made it to the provincial semi-finals that season with 5 grade 8 players on a Junior team, including Tyler. In 2016 Tyler helped the Panthers senior team reach the provincial finals for the first time in school history.

Tyler was talented and extremely creative, his high school drama teacher said he was as comfortable on the stage as on a football field. He loved music, learned to play the guitar and after graduating high school completed a Music Programming/Sound Engineering Program at Okanagan Collage. He wrote and recorded hundreds of Rap songs and performed at venues across BC, he dreamed of being famous and never stopped trying.

Tyler also became a talented Hair Stylist / Barber, after achieving a diploma at MC College in Kelowna. He had a plan to open a salon to help people feel better about themselves and as he said, “make a positive difference in people’s lives”.

Tyler’s life was much too short. He was a young man bursting with potential. But beneath his amazing, beautiful smile, Tyler struggled. He wasn’t able to find inner peace and was dealing with mental health concerns resulting in a substance use disorder, which escalated recently and tragically ended his life far too soon.

May you now find your peace our beautiful boy. ♡

We will miss you forever. ♡

In lieu of flowers please contribute to mental health / substance use organizations.

A memorial tea will be held for Tyler at Pleasant Valley Funeral Home in Vernon, B.C. on Friday, August 2 at 1:00pm.