Riley Vander Esch, 21

Riley Vander Esch, 21, of Sioux Falls, passed away Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, surrounded by her family at her home after a 15-month battle with Diffuse Midline Glioma. Her funeral service will begin at 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at St. Mary’s University Chapel, 2500 Park Ave., in Winona, Minn. Visitation with the family present will take place from 12 to 2 p.m., also at the University. On Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, the family will be present for a visitation between 1-4 p.m. at George Boom Funeral Home & On-Site Crematory in Sioux Falls. A private family burial will be held on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, at Polish Cemetery in Lesterville, S.D. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to: Saint Mary’s Women’s Hockey in Winona, Minn., Coulee Regional Humane Society in La Crosse, Wis., Sioux Falls Lady Flyers, Brandon Valley Ice Cats, Sean Ryan Foundation in Winona, Pay It Forward Golf Classic/Bell Bank in Woodbury, Minn., or Sophie’s Squad in Blaine, Minn.

Our sweet Riley skated off to heaven in the early hours of Oct. 4. She had been locked into a 15-month shoot out with Diffuse Midline Glioma with the H3K27M altered gene, an opponent that remains undefeated.

Riley Vander Esch was born on July 19, 2005 to Jennifer and Darrell Vander Esch. She was welcomed by her sister Lauren, who had arrived just two years earlier.

Something magical happened on Feb. 21, 2016. She attended a “Try Hockey Free” event sponsored by the Brandon Valley Ice Cats. We could tell by the smile on her face that she was hooked. Although 10 years old is a little late to start playing hockey, Riley made up for the time quickly. She knew she wanted to play goalie in her first year, but due to circumstances she had to wait until her second year. Being a goalie requires even more gear and a little thicker skin.

Riley moved on to play girl’s hockey for the Sioux Falls Flyers. She was part of several State Championships and they went undefeated her junior year. She earned several awards including two-time All-State Goalie. In the off-season, she would skate for Team South Dakota. They took many memorable trips but Denver and Philadelphia stood out. She was selected to try out for Team USA for two consecutive years. Her greatest gift, however, was all the wonderful friends that were made within the hockey community.

For her senior year, Riley moved on to travel hockey in the Twin Cities, where she played for the Minnesota Ice Cougars. Riley graduated from Apple Valley in Minnesota in 2023 with honors.

She was recruited to play hockey at Saint Mary’s University in Winona (SMUMN). She was patiently waiting for more ice time, when the brain cancer was discovered in the summer of 2025. It was around this time when Riley said “Life isn’t all about hockey”.

Besides her incredible talent as a goalie and team member, Riley also excelled at Saint Mary’s University, where she graduated with a B.S. in Accounting and Sports Management with honors. Riley worked for the Admissions Office and set a new precedent for tracking her new student commits to the SMUMN family, a practice which is now a standard at the office.

Riley handled this diagnosis with incredible strength, grace and grit. She leaned on all of her teammates, friends and family. Even when she could no longer play, she remained active with the team by calling home games on the livestream. This was quite something for a girl who has always been more about action over words.

Throughout this cancer battle, Riley has been an inspiration to so many people, and especially her parents and sister. It is hard to watch this cancer take all the skills of a highly accomplished human away. She remained focused on what she could control. We were honored to be there for her in these past few months.

We are so thankful to SMUMN and everything they have done for Riley and our family. Riley made so many incredible friends who are carrying her with them. We know Riley will be watching over everyone with a smile. 

Left to cherish this special human are her parents, Darrell and Jennifer (Sioux Falls); her sister, Lauren (Minneapolis); and her grandmother, Linda Nielsen (Sioux Falls); uncles, Lawrence Vander Esch (Marge) of Hull, Iowa, Jerry Vander Esch of Worthing, Randall of Palm Desert, Calif., and Jeremy Kleinhessleink (Sharla); aunts, Elaine Wennblom (Murlyn) of Hudson and Jan Vanden Bosch (Don) of Rock Valley, Iowa, along with numerous cousins and extended family members. Riley is also survived by her beloved cat, Chili, whom Riley adopted in May of 2025. Chili was Riley’s buddy who would give her kisses on chemo Sunday. Most other days, Chili was a bit spicy towards Riley but Riley’’ love for her cat never wavered. 

Riley was preceded in death by her grandparents, Henry and Elizabeth Vander Esch, Kent Nielsen and her aunt, Jackie (Nielsen) Kleinhesselink.

For online condolences, visit georgeboom.com.