"Having a list of hundreds of memories and life adventures that have been done with Riley along the way makes it hard to pick a certain time or place where we had our most fun. Whether it was
at a high school party, on the boat, or somewhere completely random Riley and I were always able to have a great time. I remember some of the days we would skip class and go to the beach before we had to be back to baseball practice at 4 later that day, these were always great memories. One thing that always seems to stick out to me when thinking about Riley is when we went shark fishing. Riley always talked about how much he enjoyed swimming with sharks but never was able to catch a big shark like those. So one day we decided to do it, we went to Motts and got some of their fish carcass’s and headed out to the inlet. We ended up anchoring the boat about 70 yards down the inlet and put the lines out to later catch about a 7-8 foot bull shark. The reason this memory always sticks out to me when thinking about Riley is because of how happy and fired up he was to catch a huge shark. I am so happy I was able to share this lifelong memory along with so many others with Riley."
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-Mccallum Hutchins

​"One of my most recent interactions with Riley was a night in early December when I was home visiting my family in Wilmington between Thanksgiving and Christmas. A bunch of us were at a restaurant that had dart boards and of course there was some "friendly" competition taking place. My brother and his girlfriend were partners, my mom and her boyfriend were partners, and both pairs thought they were unbeatable. I knew the partner I wanted to compete with - Riley! Win or lose I knew we would have the most fun and that he would treat me the same no matter the outcome (or my contribution). 

From the time Riley could walk and talk and partake in the games with the older kids, Riley was always my partner. Whether we were playing card games with our parents, capture the flag in the neighborhoods, laser tag at Jungle Rapids, or a game in the pool - Riley was always the person I wanted on my team. He was a team player that was competitive, yet kind, determined, yet patient. If I had the best game of my life, or the worst, Riley was the most supportive teammate you could have. Although we both hate to lose more than anything, we always had a great time and laughed until our stomachs hurt. 

I will miss my partner in games and in life!  Love you always Boo Bear."

-Anna Hildreth 

P.S. You better save my spot as your darts partner up there! 

Riley was the perfect combination of Tough and Tender. I could give Tough examples about yard sports and snake bites. I could tell you about his Tender side especially when it came to his early love and sympathy for animals. But today, his 20th birthday, my thoughts go to the birthdays we celebrated together in the past...I don’t think we missed a single one. Riley’s Tenderness was evident in the love (and pound of butter) that went into the homemade cakes he made for me year after year. And for his 14th birthday, I took him to a skydiving simulator and watched how quickly he jumped into that uncontrollable wind tunnel, Tough as always. Happy Birthday my precious boy. I am celebrating you, the years we spent together and the special place you’ve always had in my heart that keeps you forever near. Love you!!

-Chelle Belle (Michelle Hildreth) 

"If there was one thing Riley loved more than anything, it was fire. When we were growing up Riley wanted a fire pit in our back yard SO BAD. For years mom and dad just never bought a fire pit or had one built in the back yard like Riley begged. He talked about it all the time. One afternoon in the summer when we were in middle school we had the best idea ever!

Riley and I created a plan. We knew that mom and dad were never going to get a fire pit and we had to take things into our own hands. We knew that if we used shovels and dug out a big circle in the grass. We knew that if the grass was dug up, no matter how mad our parents were, they had to let us keep it since the back yard would look pretty dumb with just a huge dirt circle in the middle of the pristine back yard grass.

We spent the whole afternoon going around the neighborhood finding big rocks and stones in order to line the fire pit. We found tons of rocks and made it look great! Mom and dad walked in the back yard and almost killed us when they realized a huge patch of grass in the back yard was missing.

For years and years, we used that fire pit as a family. Every week we spent nights out there with friends and family listening to country music and telling stories. I think all four of us eventually agreed that it was one of the best decisions Riley and I had ever made! Looking back, I am so grateful we have those memories!"

-Burke Estes