Darrell Riley was born on February 26, 1958, in Denver, Colorado to James Riley and Evelyn Riley. He was the middle child of three siblings from the union. He was a happy child and often found himself singing and dancing. Raised in the church, Darrell took a liking to music while he was in his youth.

Darrell grew up in the Park Hill area of Denver and was educated in the public school system. He was an alumnus of many of the same schools that grandchildren attend now. For elementary he attended Hallett Academy, for middle he attended Smiley Middle School, and for High school he attended George Washington High School.

After High School Darrell moved to California, where he took up a dry-cleaning job at Swiss Cleaners while he stayed in Long Beach. While attending a service at First Shining Light Baptist church he met Lisa Williams, his only wife and the mother of his eight children. He continued to work for Swiss cleaners for more than 15 years. When his kids moved to Corsicana, Texas with their Nana, Darrell moved there with them. While he was there, he became the minister of music over the Love Chapel Missionary Baptist Church choir for many years. He moved back to Denver when he was diagnosed with skin cancer and deemed terminally ill.

Darrell relished being a father. It gave him immense joy to be around and a part of his kids' lives. Whether it was chauffeuring them around or just shooting the breeze, he knew that being present was one of the greatest gifts that he could give to his children. He continued in that role even well-after his kids were adults. They all knew they could count on their dad to love them unconditionally as he had since they were born. Right, wrong, or indifferent, Dad was there to give his opinion on the matter. No matter the time or the hour, Dad was only a phone call away. He effortlessly took on being the best Pa-Pa he could be in aiding his kids with the rearing of their own children. He stood firm in correcting his grandkids when they were wrong, but knowing secretly he would let them get away with murder. His love for his grandkids had no bounds, and his grandkids all knew that Pa-Pa had a snack waiting for them in his room behind the door. His hobbies included listening to music and watching a good marathon of Law-and-Order SVU. Even though he was giving less than a year to live in ‘99, God blessed him to live a full life serving as a minister of music for New Jerusalem Baptist church and Peaceful Rest Baptist church, taking care of his kids, and taking care of his mother, until his accident. He was a servant at heart.

Darrell departed from this live May 31, 2024, surrounded by his children. Darrell will be severely missed by his family and friends. Preceded in death by: His father James Riley, Evelyn Bradley, and his son Jermaine Riley Sr. Those left to cherish his memory and mourn his loss are his Children: Brandon Riley, Jesse Mc Dowell, Brian Mc Dowell, Ebony (Andrew) Spears, Ivory (Micah) Curtis, Jamaris (Shanice) Williams, and Blake Williams; His siblings: Malcolm Riley Sr, Develyn Riley, Rita Roberts, and Renee Brown, and a host of grandchildren, great grandchildren, cousins, other relatives, and many friends.