Riley Richards Smith

Riley Richards Smith passed away at his home on Friday, May 8, 2015. Riley was born January 8, 1986 in Provo, Utah to Rex Smith and Laura Rizzuto. He grew up in Orem, Utah playing Little League baseball and excelling in his gifted classes with Mr. Lee. Riley moved with his family to Tucson, AZ in the summer of 2001 and attended Ironwood Ridge High School, graduating in 2004. He loved music, playing several instruments. He was especially talented on the guitar and vocals and enjoyed composing. Riley met his sweetheart Alexis Layne Roussel in the Fall of 2007 and they were married in the LDS Mesa Temple on June 21, 2008. Together they had a beautiful son, Owen Graham, whose twinkling blue eyes and sweet inquisitive mind, so much like his father’s, will forever keep Riley’s memory alive. Alexis was a dedicated wife who helped Riley through many stages of their life together. Riley had a brilliant mind and a hunger for continued learning. He earned several coveted technical certifications and held jobs with companies like Go Daddy, Expedia and Citrix Systems focusing on Network Security with an emphasis on developing the cloud. His passion was in architectural design and he loved the leadership roles which he held. Riley had a great love of nature and spent many happy hours hiking in the mountains behind his home. He loved his son more than anything and tried to be the best daddy he could be. He was truly loved by his family and friends and we will miss his smile and his presence in the years to come. Riley is survived by his wife, Alexis Layne Smith; his young son, Owen Graham Smith; his parents, Laura & Ken Rizzuto; his father, Rex Smith; his sister, Chelsey Wilson; step-brothers, Micah, Jason, & Trevor Rizzuto; step-sister Natalie R Bolen; grandparents, Tom & Phyllis Alexander, Lorna K Banfield, Betty Brewer and Ted Wood; as well as several brothers and sisters in-law, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and numerous friends.

Services will be held on Friday, May 22, 2015 at Morning Sun Ward, 33794 N. Gary Rd., Queen Creek, AZ 85142. Family will greet visitors at 9:30am, followed by a memorial service at the same location at 10:30. Burial will follow at San Tan Memorial Gardens, 22425 E. Cloud Rd., Queen Creek, AZ 85142. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the GoFundMe “Riley Smith Memorial” @ gofundme.com/weloveriley.