On empathy and hard work, through the eyes of others

Riley was a multi-faceted person with many artistic and intellectual talents. She was a talented painter, sculptor, tie-dyer, and guitarist. She excelled academically and was interested in biology and furthering knowledge and understanding of our world. She was good at all of these things because of her quiet internal drive to improve her knowledge and abilities. She didn’t necessarily shout it out to the world and she was humble about it but once she made a commitment to something or someone, she followed through with integrity.

That being said, I think the most notable thing about Riley was the way she interacted with others. The care and compassion she embodied, even in the simplest interaction, was unusual for someone of her age. It also wasn’t something she had to work at, it just came naturally. Being kind was not something she had to strive for, it was something she just naturally was. When she asked you how your day was going, she really wanted to know. You knew this because she stopped and looked you in the eye. Then she responded in a way that let you know she had actually listened to what you said.

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Riley had many great attributes, without question. Her super-power was making people feel seen and heard. If she asked you how your day was going, she really wanted to know. It was fine if you wanted to really tell her how crappy or good it was. For those few moments she was 100% with you. You knew this because she would stop and look you in the eye and wait for your answer. Then she would comment back in a way that you knew she had actually listened to what you said and formulated a thought about it and usually shared some kind of supportive comment, no matter what was going on.

—Jennifer Swain, close family friend