Friends, family give colorful send-off to Northern California brothers killed in Ethiopian Airlines crash
Hundreds of well-wishers said goodbye Saturday to brothers Melvin and Bennett Riffel, who were among the 157 people killed in last Sunday’s Ethiopian Airlines crash.
About 1,000 people filled the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Redding, where clergy conducted an 11 a.m. memorial service. Afterward, a celebration of life was held at the Redding Elks Lodge.
“We all gather here today with a shared hurt in our heart and a loss we will never understand,” Melvin and Bennett’s father, Ike, wrote in a short speech he delivered at the Elks Lodge.
“Like I always told the boys — life isn’t always fair and sometimes it will knock you on your butt,” Ike Riffel said. “Let the healing begin. Let’s get up. Let’s start throwing punches.”
The brothers were on their last adventure before Melvin became a father. His wife, Brittney, is expecting in the spring, and the two had dropped her off to fly home before they continued on to Nairobi.
“In a couple of months, Mel’s lovely wife, Brittney, will be giving birth to their daughter, Emma,” Ike Riffel said. “We need to be strong and ready to embrace this new life.”
Ike and his wife, Susan, greeted dozens of friends who paid their respects at the Elks Lodge. The family asked the media not to take pictures of them or Brittney.
“Susan and I are blessed to have those boys in our lives. We were a family built on love no tragedy can ever take away from us,” Ike Riffel said.
One couple went to the Elks Lodge dressed in T-shirts with photos printed on the front showing themselves with the brothers. Some of the men at the celebration of life wore Hawaiian, paisley and other colorful shirts in honor of Melvin.
“Mel was known as the life of the party and he’d always come in with a crazy shirt on. That’s why you see everybody wearing Hawaiians shirts,” said Deanna Del Carlo, who, along with friend Lance Reville of Redding, have known the Riffel family for more than seven years.
“They’re the greatest guys in the world,” Reville said. “They come into the room; you’d know it because they were full of life.”
The brothers attended St. Joseph School and were Shasta High School graduates. Melvin, 29, was a Redding resident and worked at the California Department of Transportation. Bennett, 26, lived in Chico and worked at Vista Net, an internet support company.
Father Michael Ritter of Chico led the hour-long church service Saturday. He spoke of the unspeakably tragic and sad loss but also remarked the huge turnout was “a wonderful testament to these two young men.”
“Death is the one great human problem. It touches us all and we’re never, ever ready for it,” Ritter said. “Melvin and Bennett were young men who lived life to the fullest.”
A cousin set up a GoFundMe account to help Brittney before she gives birth and ease the “financial stress” following the loss of her husband and brother-in-law.
“We began this fund with a goal of $30,000 in honor of Mel’s upcoming 30th birthday — but, if you knew Mel, you know he always lived life to the max. Inspired by his 100 percent-or-bust attitude, we are raising the fundraising goal to $100,000,” the post says.
As of Saturday afternoon, 560 people had contributed $50,782 toward that goal.