Memorial held for two Monument boys lost from fentanyl overdose

MONUMENT, Colo. (KRDO) -- On July 25th, Matt and Shelly Riviere received a call no parents can ever prepare for. Their two sons, Stephen and Andrew, both died from a fentanyl overdose.

Today, family and friends traveled from near and far to Fox Run Regional Park in Monument. Hundreds of people showed up to celebrate the lives of the boys that were lost far too soon.

"These were good, great young men full of promise that just made some choices that ended so tragically," Chester Umaguing, a family friend, said. "But if we are honest with ourselves here today, didn't we all make bad choices when we were in our youth? And it's a miracle that some of us are even here today right?"

Their parents told KRDO the boys had just moved in together and both worked full time. They were just starting to find their way in life and getting excited about their next moves. Stephen was considering going to college next year, while Andrew was thinking about going to trade school to be a mechanic.

Shelly Riviere was emotional when speaking about her two sons.

"Now, they are gone from this earth and have gone back to God, but I wasn't done being their mom," Riviere said.

Friends remembered how the two boys were full of life.

Chester Umaguing said, "I still call them boys because of their youthful spirit and exuberance. These were great young boys full of promise that just made some choices that ended so tragically."

From 2018-2019, the CDC reported an increase in synthetic opioid deaths, like fentanyl, from 134 to 255 in Colorado, a 95.5% increase.