A 69-year-old Plymouth man who was the subject of an intense days-long search last week before being found dead was remembered in his obituary as a “kind man” who enjoyed life’s simple pleasures.
Rodney Riviello went missing on June 17 after he walked away from Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital’s Plymouth location around 11:15 a.m. He was later found outdoors in Plymouth on Saturday. Riviello’s obituary says he died on June 18.
According to his obituary, Riviello, a native New Yorker, found his passion working as a meat cutter, spending nearly 40 years working at the meat counter at Losons in Lyons, New York, the city he was born in, and at Tops Friendly Markets. During his career, “his customers and coworkers became good friends,” Riviello’s family recalled.
Riviello was also a “devoted” husband, father and grandfather. He had two children and two grandchildren, according to the obituary. His family brought his life “humor, joy and proud moments,” the obituary reads.
“Rodney was a kind man who loved the simple things like spending time with family, reading his daily newspaper, watching game shows, and rooting for the New York Yankees,” his family wrote. “He had an extensive autograph collection that he loved showing off to anyone who came by the house, and there was no ‘dad joke’ too lame for him to tell you with a smile.”
A coach of his children’s youth sports teams, Riviello “rarely” missed a cheerleading competition for his daughter or a tennis match for his son. He also dutifully followed the score of every Clyde-Savannah High School football game, his alma mater.
“He rooted not only for his kids, but for the community of Clyde which he loved so much for 50+ years,” the obituary reads.
In the obituary, Riviello’s family thanks the Plymouth Police Department and “countless others” who looked for Riviello and eventually brought him home. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to The Plymouth Police Relief Association or to Clyde-Savannah Dollars for Scholars.
A “casual” celebration of Riviello’s life will be held from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 7 at Lauraville Landing Park in Clyde, New York.
