For as long as I can remember, David Riley has always been a fighter and was always determined to do what he wanted to do regardless of the obstacles that were placed in his way. For those that don't know him, here's a little backstory about the amazingly stubborn man who always called me Fred <3 :

David graduated from Glen Burnie High School and immediately joined the US Army as a tank driver. After serving our country for a few years, he came home and married the love of his life April Riley. They would have been married 34 years in June of this year (2021). They were truly the example that so many people looked up to when it came to envying happy marriages that truly put love and their vows to each other above everything else. April supported David through all of us dreams whether he succeeded or not. He had a dream to become a police officer and he pushed himself as hard as he could and became a police officer with the Maryland Transportation Authority Police. After achieving that dream, David set his sights on becoming a K9 police officer which he did achieve as well.
(I remember making the drive with Aunt April across multiple states to pick Uncle David up with that huge smile on his face after he completed K9 training. He was so darn proud of himself.)
David was lucky enough to work with two amazing K9's, Cora and Leo. After many years of serving our country and community, David and April decided to retire to Las Vegas, NV but unfortunately David's body had other plans.  David almost immediately got extremely sick after they arrived in Las Vegas, NV in 2014. David ended up in the hospital within a few months of arriving to NV and was fighting for his life while waiting for a liver transplant. My aunt spent every day by my uncles side sharing everyone's love and well wishes with him while begging him to keep fighting and his mom came up to the hospital as often as she could as well. David finally received a liver transplant in October of 2014 and coded on the operating table multiple times before they finished the surgery successfully. This man truly fought with everything in him to make it through that liver transplant as well as all of the extremely intensive recovery processes afterwards. He was blessed enough and we were all lucky enough to have him for almost 7 more years after the transplant until he unfortunately passed away on 02/14/2021.
David unfortunately contracted COVID-19 and pneumonia and fought an extremely tough battle for as long as his body could fight. He lost that battle the morning of Valentine's Day and all of us that care so deeply about him are left in utter shock and devastation.

I created this GoFundMe on behalf of my Aunt April Riley (with her permission and direct request) due to the fact that this was so unexpected and sudden.  They unfortunately had no money or savings or life insurance. They just purchased a home on the Eastern Shore literally 3 weeks before his passing. They have no money to be able to afford his funeral expenses or any bills while the state and his retirement figures out the change in circumstances due to his passing that will ultimately drastically reduce the money my aunt receives. We are asking for anyone's generous help and donations in order to be able to pay for the cremation expenses and a celebration of life at a later date. Anything over that will go directly towards my aunt's bills to help tide her over until she can decide what she's going to do now that the love of her life is gone. Things are very uncertain right now financially so we are just trying to ease that burden so that April can focus on grieving her husband instead of worrying about money at this terribly difficult time. All of the money donated will go directly to April Riley except for any of GoFundMe's fees that are charged automatically on each transaction. 

If you can please find it in your hearts to donate, my family would be eternally grateful. My uncle David was the most amazingly stubborn man I have ever met. He would do anything for anyone even if it was with an attitude sometimes. He loved in his own way and he will be so dearly missed by everyone that knew him. 

I cannot thank him enough for being a father figure, a role model, a friend, and an amazing uncle and great uncle to me and my children. My heart is breaking typing this but I am so grateful he's no longer suffering and I cannot wait to see him again one day.

With love, 
"Fred",
AKA Christina Johnson