Thunder Bay's skateboarding community honours 10-year-old killed in school bus collision

A 10-year-old from Thunder Bay, Ont., whose life was taken far too soon is being remembered for his kindness, humour and skateboarding talents.

Riker McKelvey was struck and killed by a school bus while riding his bicycle at the corner of Red River Road and Clarkson Street South on May 23. He would have turned 11 on June 1.

On Sunday, friends and family gathered to share memories at one of his favourite places: Cinema 5 Skatepark.

"Everyone's kind of forming a community more than I've ever seen before in this city," said Kaleb Calder, a skate instructor for the park's after-school program. "It's really great to see how much support and how much of an impact just one kid had on so many people."

The support from more than 20 sponsors, along with volunteers and local musicians, led to the Sunday gathering in memory of the Riker.

The skatepark hosted the event, which was complete with some of his favourite things: hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, live music, free comic books and of course, skateboarding.

Riker's Ramp leaves a legacy

Cinema 5 Skatepark has named a ramp after Riker, and artist Melissa Lamothe came up with the idea to paint a silhouette of him above it, using a still image from a video taken of him on the ramp.

"We never want him to be forgotten and that's why we ended up naming the ramp after him," said the park's marketing manager, Kaitlyn Ellerton. "It's quite phenomenal to see that Riker's memory is truly not ever going to leave the city."

The silhouette was painted by his mother Jessica Muloin and stepfather Zach Elkie.

"It was a nice way to kind of feel close to Riker that night," Muloin said. "He would be pretty stoked to see himself up on the wall there, I think."

Elkie taught Riker how to skateboard but in the few months he spent at Cinema 5, his skills soared to a whole new level.

"It was a pretty big deal, too, because the first time he came here, he had a pretty bad wipeout – and so seeing that progress in just a short time was pretty amazing," Muloin said.

As program co-ordinating officer Richard Penko put it, Riker was "perseverance personified."

He'd recently learned how to drop in on the ramp and had also picked up a new trick – a rock to fakie – where a skateboarder goes up the ramp and over the coping before coming back down.

"It's harder than it sounds but he was trying that trick for so long and the day he got it, he was just screaming [with] joy. It was really awesome to see," said Calder.

'He always made me happy'

Maddie Gladu spent a lot of time with Riker at Cinema 5 Skatepark's after-school program. The Grade 4 student said it's different now without him there.

"He was a nice guy and he always told funny joke jokes and he always made me happy," Gladu said.

Riker was always fast to make a friend and never shied away from meeting new people, she said. The barbecue brought on a mix of happy-sad feelings – but Gladu said she wants people to know what a great person he was.

"I wish I could have said that he was a good friend. I never got to say that to him," she said.

She left a note for Riker on a sheet of Bristol Board set out for people to sign. People also signed T-shirts, two for Riker's family and one to be displayed at Cinema 5, and his beloved skateboard.

Riker's mother extends her gratitude to everyone who has reached out since Riker's death.

"There's not enough words of thank you for what not only Cinema 5 has done for Riker and ourselves for support, but the entire community and even outwards reaching beyond Thunder Bay. There's been an overwhelming amount of support and it's really beautiful," Muloin said.

"Riker touched a lot of lives that I didn't even realize."

In a notice sent to families on May 24, Lakehead District School Board shared resources about discussing grief with their children, and attached a link to mental health resources available on its website. It also offered information about walk-in counselling clinics available in Thunder Bay.

Riker's obituary encourages people to donate to Paws4Love Thunder Bay or Cinema 5 Skatepark in his honour.