Sean Stephen Riley passed at the age of 38 on Monday, August 2, 2021. He lived in Tempe, Arizona with the love of his life, Megan Brooke, their two year old daughter, Monroe, and their loyal dog, Trinity.
Sean was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on September 10, 1982. His family moved to California in 1991 and he spent his formative years in Danville, California during the height of the 49ers glory days and the inaugural seasons of the San Jose Sharks. Sean was a dedicated fan of both teams, and a gifted athlete in his own right, excelling at football in high school, and dominating at ice hockey from a very young age all the way through his final days, scoring a goal during his last adult league hockey game on July 20th.
He moved to Tempe in 2001 to attend Arizona State University. He found his true calling in the hospitality industry, initially working as a bartender. He was great at his job, and advanced consistently over the years, first to bar manager, and in recent years, to general management. He was widely recognized as a “get the job done the right way” kind of person, with a great work ethic. Sean has always been the coolest and best looking of the Riley brothers, and thrived interacting with people. He was uniquely empathetic and sensitive, with an ability to understand what people needed to feel, and he had the charm and presence to deliver on those needs in a way that made others feel cool just being with him. Sean had exquisite taste in music, movies, fashion, shoes, and beards. He was quick witted, with a dry, intelligent sense of humor, and he was meticulous in the curation of his wardrobe and collections. (His closet is a master class in organization.) Those closest to him also knew his hidden depth: even though he was unwaveringly cool, at his core he was a romantic, sentimental, highly intelligent person who saw beauty in the world and lived life on his own terms.
More than anything else though, Sean was an incredible partner to Megan, and a devoted Dad to Monroe (2). We’ll all struggle to understand God’s plan when it cuts their time as a family this short. Family was everything to him and he will be missed terribly. Sean is also survived by his parents, Robin and Denny Riley, and his brothers, Keegan (Susanne), and Kiernan (Shannon), and his nieces and nephew, Sloane (9), Brecan (8), Leighton (6), and Kellen (6).
A celebration of life and memorial service for Sean will be held Saturday, August 7, 2021 at 2:00 PM at Green Acres Mortuary and Cemetery, 401 North Hayden Road, Scottsdale, Arizona 85257. The event will be live-streamed for anyone unable to attend. We kindly request that all attendees wear masks inside the facility and exercise social distancing. In celebration of Sean's sporting allegiances, we encourage folks to wear Sharks teal apparel or 49ers red and gold.
A second celebration of life will take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota at a yet to be determined time and location, in order to allow Sean’s extended family in the midwest to memorialize him without air travel. If Sean were describing this, he would call it an “Irish Wake”, at which point his mother would remind him that he is also half Swedish.
To leave an online condolence to the family, please post a memory on this site below. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a contribution to the GoFundMe page that has been set up to support Megan and Monroe with medical and funeral costs, and to establish a nest egg to support their family needs in the future: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-sean-riley-in-his-road-to-recovery
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