Riley D. Burgoyne
May 14th, 2008 - April 30th, 2025
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Riley's Obituary
Riley D. Burgoyne, 16, of Buchanan passed away on Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
A celebration of life service will be held at 12:30 on Friday, May 9, 2025, at Swem Chapel, 301 W. Front St., Buchanan. Inurnment will follow at Oak Ridge Cemetery, Buchanan. A gathering time will take place on Thursday, May 8, 2025, from 5-8 pm also at Swem Chapel. Memorial contributions in Riley’s name may be made to Paws of Hope, Southwest Michigan.
Those wishing to send a condolence online may do so at www.swemchapel.com.
Riley was born on May 14, 2008, to Douglas and Danielle (Schrader) Burgoyne in South Bend, IN. Riley was a Junior at Buchanan High School and took classes at both Lake Michigan College and the Math & Science Center at Andrews University in Berrien Springs. He was part of the varsity track team and enjoyed playing video games with his friends.
Riley was fiercely independent. From the time he was five and asked for his own alarm clock so he could wake himself up and watch cartoons before he had to go to daycare. When Riley set his mind to do something you could bet it was going to be done. When Riley was eight, he no longer needed to use a booster seat in the car. Riley woke up early and pulled the booster seat from the car and threw it in the trash can. There is some debate between his parents on where the independent streak came from, but we watched in awe and admiration of it every day.
Riley liked to fancy himself as an introvert. With very little coxing he would come out of his shell and be the Riley we knew was in there all along. Kind, funny, smart, caring, sarcastic as hell, playful, it would all emerge and before he knew it, he had turned into the extrovert inside of himself. That was the true Riley. And we watched in awe and admiration of it every day.
Riley doted on his parents. He was our rock. When one of us could not go with the other, he would volunteer to go. He was especially this way with mother, though he would do the same for his father. Riley was like velcro to Danielle following her surgeries. He was at her side for anything she could ask for and just to make sure his mom was going to be alright. This devotion for his parents meant the world to us. He was strong, brave, comforting, and present and we will feel the loss of it every day.
Riley showed us early on just how bright he was. He was always at the top of his class in grades. During many teacher/parent conferences the teacher would say “your boy is exceedingly smart”. So much so that we have to watch what we say as he understands sarcasm beyond his years. He was truly a sponge for knowledge. He looked up everything he could on a subject once interested and would come tell us all about it. We learned quickly he was smarter than the both of us. Riley was smart enough and determined enough to do anything his heart desired. We will feel the loss of his intelligence and wit every day.
There are not enough words to describe what Riley was to us. He was simply our world. Those who knew him, those who loved him, should consider themselves the luckiest people in the world. Riley was the best of us, and we will mourn his loss Every day.
Riley is survived by his parents, Douglas and Danielle Burgoyne of Buchanan; his brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and dear friends.
A celebration of life service will be held at 12:30 on Friday, May 9, 2025, at Swem Chapel, 301 W. Front St., Buchanan. Inurnment will follow at Oak Ridge Cemetery, Buchanan. A gathering time will take place on Thursday, May 8, 2025, from 5-8 pm also at Swem Chapel. Memorial contributions in Riley’s name may be made to Paws of Hope, Southwest Michigan.
Those wishing to send a condolence online may do so at www.swemchapel.com.
Riley was born on May 14, 2008, to Douglas and Danielle (Schrader) Burgoyne in South Bend, IN. Riley was a Junior at Buchanan High School and took classes at both Lake Michigan College and the Math & Science Center at Andrews University in Berrien Springs. He was part of the varsity track team and enjoyed playing video games with his friends.
Riley was fiercely independent. From the time he was five and asked for his own alarm clock so he could wake himself up and watch cartoons before he had to go to daycare. When Riley set his mind to do something you could bet it was going to be done. When Riley was eight, he no longer needed to use a booster seat in the car. Riley woke up early and pulled the booster seat from the car and threw it in the trash can. There is some debate between his parents on where the independent streak came from, but we watched in awe and admiration of it every day.
Riley liked to fancy himself as an introvert. With very little coxing he would come out of his shell and be the Riley we knew was in there all along. Kind, funny, smart, caring, sarcastic as hell, playful, it would all emerge and before he knew it, he had turned into the extrovert inside of himself. That was the true Riley. And we watched in awe and admiration of it every day.
Riley doted on his parents. He was our rock. When one of us could not go with the other, he would volunteer to go. He was especially this way with mother, though he would do the same for his father. Riley was like velcro to Danielle following her surgeries. He was at her side for anything she could ask for and just to make sure his mom was going to be alright. This devotion for his parents meant the world to us. He was strong, brave, comforting, and present and we will feel the loss of it every day.
Riley showed us early on just how bright he was. He was always at the top of his class in grades. During many teacher/parent conferences the teacher would say “your boy is exceedingly smart”. So much so that we have to watch what we say as he understands sarcasm beyond his years. He was truly a sponge for knowledge. He looked up everything he could on a subject once interested and would come tell us all about it. We learned quickly he was smarter than the both of us. Riley was smart enough and determined enough to do anything his heart desired. We will feel the loss of his intelligence and wit every day.
There are not enough words to describe what Riley was to us. He was simply our world. Those who knew him, those who loved him, should consider themselves the luckiest people in the world. Riley was the best of us, and we will mourn his loss Every day.
Riley is survived by his parents, Douglas and Danielle Burgoyne of Buchanan; his brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and dear friends.
Memorial Contributions
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