David Kevin Riley

David (Dave) Kevin Riley, age 62, of Merrillville, IN passed away on November 22, 2022. He was born in California to John and Betty Riley on June 22, 1958 and was the baby of the family. David is survived by his only child and daughter, Amanda Riley; granddaughter, Destini Cross; brother, Daniel (Katie) Riley; sister, Linda Brebner, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, John Milo Riley and Betty L Riley. Dave was a true outdoorsman. Anything outdoors was his cup of tea. He was an amazing hunter, fisherman, and dedicated to being the best of the best. He loved everything camouflage and always had to have the newest, highly rated equipment with all the extra touches so that he could be sure he was able to get the biggest buck or the prize catch bass. He loved building motorcycles with his father and was an excellent flat track racer in his younger days. Dave took all these values and passed them down to his daughter, teaching her how to hunt, fish, and ride dirt bikes herself. Dave loved showing her how to sight her bow, how to bait her hook and cast her line, and most importantly how to be the first one out of the hole when riding her first peewee 50. Dave's love for the dirt track was shared with one of his best riding buds, Guy Vafiadis and they both taught their daughters how to tear up the track together after their bones would no longer allow them to be the one out on the track. They loved taking the bikes out with their daughters on the back on a warm sunny day doing wheelies down the street and driving their mother's crazy. He also loved building and racing bikes with his Dad and his brother, Danny. Dave loved his daughter with all his heart but when his first and only granddaughter came along, his heart had to make room. He loved seeing her doing all of the things he taught his daughter to do and it filled his heart with so much joy. Dave had many friends that stuck with him through the years but his best friend Louie was his partner in crime for over 30 years. Louie was like a brother to him and someone he knew he could always count on, whether it was to help him drag his deer to the truck after a big hunting day at Willow Slew or to make sure he got a home cooked meal once in a while instead of the usual pizza and a cupcake. Dave was a hard worker when his body would allow and was an awesome machine mechanic that stuck with his employer MSI in Portage for over 25 years. A time of sharing will be held on Sunday, December 11, 2022, from 1pm-3pm at Burns Funeral Home & Crematory, 10101 Broadway, Crown Point, IN. All friends and family are welcome and invited to attend. If you have any photos or fun stories to share, please bring them with you, his daughter would love to have them. www.burnsfuneral.com

David Kevin Riley

June 22, 1958 - November 22, 2022