On June 22, 2025, the muggy, oppressive, unforgivable day after a driver killed Joe Riga during a bike race, the front door to his little brick house on Haverford Avenue never stayed shut.

A parade of people with red and puffy eyes, most toting cavernous Carlino's bags, streamed into the Maher/Riga living room. They were basketball players, bikers, lawyers, St. Margaret's alumni, Narbs, Sisters of Mercy. They hugged Colleen, Joe's wife of 33 years and partner of 38, cried into the shoulders of his devastated kids, Kate, Mac and Plum, and kid-in-law JJ. They all said versions of the same thing: "Joe was the glue."  Joe, a proud son of Buffalo, grew into something of a village elder after he and Colleen found their way to Narberth and put down roots in 1998. He created Broadway caliber sets for the St. Margaret's auction, exuberantly coached his kids' teams, founded the now 25-year old Friday night hoops and kept playing long after most of the original group had, clutching their various aches and ailments, retired. Armed with the coolest music taste a dad has ever had, he brought people to concerts, cheerfully chauffeured his children all over the greater Philadelphia area in the middle of the night, attended protests wielding clever and impeccably designed signs. His communities, especially the basketball guys, became something more like a family — they celebrated, mourned, played, drank (and drank and drank) as one.

But most of all, he spent his days with Colleen — on walks, at the Morris Arboretum, at Phillies games, at movies, on the couch. Like the roots of the giant flowering plum tree in the backyard, they were intertwined, a gigantic love that changed them both for the better.

Joe's spirit — goofy, brilliant, curious, sensitive — was evident from boyhood, as he grew up under the fond eye of his parents, Frank and Ann, the latter of whom will be ecstatic to welcome her son home. He became himself in a rambunctious household alongside his siblings, Mary, John, Frank and Nina (who later on brought in more siblings in Alain, Cathy and Mary Ellen).

He set out for Boston College, where he stayed for law school, picking up a love of ultimate frisbee and a love of Colleen, his person forever. After a brief stint on Quince Street with Kate, the family expanded in Narberth, adding Mac and Plum. Joe adored being a dad and delighted in his kids. He paced the house, narrating the behaviors of cats Kiki and Tombo, as he and Kate chatted during their lunch breaks, studiously shuffled through his comic book collection with Mac to determine their value (very little, alas) and "danced" (generously) at concerts with Plum for bands they both loved. Joe came alive most when his kids were home, and all he ever wanted to do was to spend time with them.

With his wife and kids in Narberth — who were his whole universe — he became the fully realized version of himself: a community leader, a bringer together of people, an exuberant, generous, vital force for good. The glue.

To celebrate the life of this extraordinary man, join Colleen and the kids at his wake Thursday and funeral Friday. The wake will be from 6 to 8pm  on Thursday June 26th at McConaghy Funeral Home, 328 W. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore PA 19003 . On Friday June 27th there will be a Visitation from 9-10:45 AM followed by a Funeral Mass at 11:00 AM at Saint Margaret Church, 208 N. Narberth Ave., Narberth PA 19072. Interment is private at a later date.

***Music is my imaginary friend***