Narvy Trai Riley

Trai was born Narvy Trai Riley. He was born December 13, 1979, to Narvy James Jr. and Yolanda Riley in Portland, Oregon, at Kaiser hospital. He was his mother's only child and had one sibling from his father; Trai always desired to have a large family. God heard his prayer and blessed him abundantly with a large and loving family. In his younger days, Trai could be known as a lady's man until he met Tyesha McCool, who became his best friend and the love of his life. The two went on to get married and blend their families raising six beautiful young ladies of Portland, Oregon, and his beloved Kepriany, who resided in California with her mother.

Family was important to Trai; he never had a problem defending his loved ones at the drop of a dime. He will be remembered for his passionate, loving, yet stubborn heart and his ability to share his wisdom and life experiences. One thing about Trai was that you could not tell him he was not the boss and running things; that was non-negotiable. Trai enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, but no one could compare to his "babies"; he had a profound and everlasting love for his girls. He took pride in caring for them by cooking, cleaning, bathing, and harassing them with hugs, kisses, and jokes.

Trai attended Boise Elementary; Harriet Tubman Middle School; he graduated high school with two diplomas, one from Grant High School and one from POIC in 1998. He later pursued culinary school at Western Culinary Institute, where he was the Chef's favorite and graduated with honors (Suma Cum Laude) in 2007.

Growing up Trai was fun, loving, and a jokester who could often be found close to home. He grew up close to all his cousins, enjoying kickball, bike riding, video games, playing in Uncle Robert's boat, and just being kids running around wreaking havoc in "the neighborhood." We can't forget playing football at New Hope and those basketball matches at Boise.

If you knew Trai, you got to experience his love through his food. As soon as he learned to cook, it wasn't unheard of for him to get in the kitchen and whip up a delicious meal he made with love and passion. One of his famous dishes was his gumbo; he cooked so much gumbo that many people can't stand it now. He was always experimenting with new ideas and ingredients, trying to produce the next best dish.

Trai was a lover of music; he loved the art of expressing himself and telling his story over a fire beat. On any given day, you could find Trai listening to music, making beats, and writing lyrics to one of his tracks. He had a true gift, and he always talked about making it big and caring for his family and loved ones. Trai's other favorite pastimes were fishing, watching sports, and playing his PlayStation with his closest family and friends.

Trai will forever be known for his habitual habit of giving everyone he knows a nickname; he got a kick out of giving you a nickname based on something unique about you. It did not matter if you liked it; your name was your name!

 He is survived by his mother, Yolanda Riley; father, Narvy James; daughters, Keyvonna Riley, Traiajia Riley, Cynthia Riley, Kepriany Riley, Tyniah Riley, Tajiane Riley, Tylia Riley; brother, Najee James; grandmother's, Dorothy Riley and Anne "grammy" James; Lina Riley; three grandchildren, Kyrie Jackson, Kamarie Jackson, Key'Arie Riley.

Trai will be missed tremendously by a host of aunts, uncles, dearest cousins, close friends, and special friend Alisha Black, and children.

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