Just as he was climbing the ladder from college into a rich and purposeful life, Aaron Gregory Riley class of 2007, age 21, a treasured son, brother, nephew, cousin, friend and colleague died Saturday, July 9, 2011. The cause of death was accidental drowning, believed to be related to an epileptic seizure, while swimming in Raystown Reservoir of South-central Pennsylvania. Final autopsy findings are still pending.
Aaron was born in Whitefish, Montana on September 30, 1989, and prided himself on being a native Montanan. Although he got a start in Montana, Aaron's pre-college years were divided between Ithaca, New York and Okemos, Michigan.
He is survived by his mother Shari (Sharolyn) K. Gregory, his father Shawn J. Riley, and his sister Kristen L. Riley of Okemos, Michigan. He will be missed by many, including uncles Timothy M. Riley (Amy) of Massachusetts and Robin S. Gregory (Terry) of British Columbia, and an aunt, Bonnie A.Inouye (David) of Maryland, as well as many cherished cousins.
He grew up in the Unitarian Universalist tradition, whose principle of valuing the inherent worth and dignity of every individual shaped Aaron's own values. The Unitarian Universalist Churches in Greater Lansing, MI and Ithaca, NY were nurturing places for his spiritual growth. At college, he quietly organized a UU student group and used the chalice from his high school program in their gatherings.
Aaron was a 2007 graduate of Okemos High School, and went on to earn a BA cum laude in International Studies, Government and Economics from Ohio Wesleyan University in May 2011. In 2009, he studied in Ireland at Cork University City College. He was a devoted member of the Chi Phi Fraternity, where he gained a distinct sense of belonging, throughout his time at Ohio Wesleyan. He could be a bit quirky at times and a little "over-the-top" on enthusiasm. One of his fellow students suggested, "You never got the short version with Aaron… he was not someone going through the motions of life, but rather one of the few who was truly living."
Since graduation, he was enrolled in a Michigan State University course based in Washington, DC on natural resource policy. He was on a course field trip at the time of his death, grabbing a quick swim before supper with fellow students. At the time of his death, Aaron was also an intern with the USA Rice Federation in Arlington, VA, where in just a few months he contributed to educational and demonstration projects aimed at sustainable agricultural. This was a young man who experienced some low spots in life, and yet sought out and embraced opportunities with zeal.
He ate ice cream in New York's Central Park and crepes in Paris, guzzled stout at the Dublin Guinness factory, and munched tamales in Mexico along the Rio Grande River. He fed dolphins in Florida, chased squirrels at Gettysburg, and watched grizzly bears in Glacier National Park. Aaron spent a month in Chile ostensibly to improve his Spanish but ended up improving his soccer skills. Loving anything outdoors, he was happy catching a stringer of bluegills from a farm pond, casting to trout on tumbling Western rivers (he had a habit of falling into rivers but never lost the fish), and hoisting salmon from the Great Lakes. Proud that he got a deer his first day hunting, he was even happier when his first buck was a solid eight pointer, "Bigger than Dad's!" Aaron skied black diamond slopes from Steamboat Colorado to glaciers along the Austrian-Italian border, and yet loved annual family ski trips to northern Michigan.
He relished watching any sporting event, whether it was the Cardinals in old Busch Stadium, MSU Spartans or Cornell Big Red in any venue, or his sister racing on the Okemos Ski Team. Forcefully, Aaron defended ultimate Frisbee as a sport rather than an activity (go Firedogs!). He paddled through the Missouri River Breaks, skinny-dipped in Swedish rivers, and got propelled from a raft on the Snake River in Wyoming. Aaron ascended mountains in the Adirondacks, the Alps, the Andes, and the Rockies. He ventured up the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, and the United States Capital Dome. He loved to play fiddle and violin music, performing concertos with the Okemos High Orchestra in Viennese cathedrals, ballads for cousins during "breakfast on the beach" as well as Irish tunes in Dublin pubs and improvisional violin in ad hoc jam bands at college.
Aaron played hard but worked hard too. One of his professors recently stated, "Aaron's is a sweet and genuine soul - and one of the smartest and most innovative people with whom I have had the privilege of working."
Throughout his short, somewhat defiant life, Aaron did not want to be held back by epilepsy or try to conceal it. Courageously, he worked to bring epilepsy out of the shadows of society; Aaron wanted, somehow, to reduce the feelings of isolation and seclusion that people living with epilepsy and seizure disorders often experience. To honor his life and cause, contributions may be made to the "Aaron Gregory Riley Scholarship" for recognition, encouragement and support of students living with epilepsy at Ohio Wesleyan University, 61 S. Sandusky Street, Delaware, OH 43015.
A celebration and memorial to Aaron's life will be held on August 13, 2011 at 10:30AM in the Michigan State University Student Union Ballroom with a reception to follow in the Union Parlors
Published by Ithaca Journal on Jul. 23, 2011.
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/theithacajournal/name/aaron-riley-obituary?id=26491436