Obituary of Michael Edward Riley

Michael Edward Riley, 58 of Mount Pleasant South Carolina, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, October 11th surrounded by family. He was born in Atlantic City, NJ and raised in Tenafly, NJ. He is survived by daughters Kaitlyn and Erin Riley, of Mount Pleasant SC, sister Sharon and niece Samantha of Dumont, NJ. Michael was predeceased by both his mother and father, Valerie and Vincent Riley of Tenafly, NJ. 

 

In Michael’s early years, he grew up at the Tenakill Swim Club and swam competitively for many years after. Michael was a successful carpenter in the early part of his career and could always make anything into a beautiful masterpiece. He developed a passion for cooking and later went on to become a chef after attending the French Culinary Institute in NYC. One of his favorite joys was cooking for family and friends. Michael also had an avid passion for fishing. He loved being on the water and couldn’t wait to catch that first fish. In more recent years, Michael loved to create beautiful custom cutting boards and paintings for people’s homes. He had such a creative and artistic ability to make something ordinary into something unique and special, just as he was. In the last two years, Michael adopted a puppy named Nova that brought him so much happiness and laughter. 

 

His ultimate joy in life was raising his two daughters, Kaitlyn and Erin. He took such pride in watching them grow up into successful young women and shared so many wonderful memories with them throughout life. He coached soccer and other sports when the girls were younger, and then went on to attend all swim meets for their young adulthood as they took after his love for swimming. His favorite place to spend with his girls growing up was the Jersey Shore, where he taught them how to body surf the waves and fly kites. Just as much as they were his world, he was theirs. Michael and his daughters had an unbreakable bond. They are so grateful to have had him as a father and best friend, and extremely proud of the man he was. 

 

A funeral mass will be held on October 28th at 10am, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Tenafly, NJ with a celebration of life to follow. More details will be given closer to the date. In lieu of flowers, donations in Michael’s name can be made to your local animal shelter, which was a cause Michael was very passionate about. He will be sorely and greatly missed by all those who loved him. 

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