West Chester Man, Veteran, Dies At 28 After Battle With Addiction

WEST CHESTER, PA — A West Chester native and computer analyst who served in the U.S. Air Force in Iraq has died from an accidental overdose. He was 28.

Benjamin Francis Rivell was found dead in a home in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood on March 20, according to Philly.com.

His parents chose to go public with the story of what happened to their son in hopes that it would serve as a lesson to others.

"A part of me wants the public to know, because these deaths are becoming all too common. We want to break the silence, we want to break the stigma," his mother, Laura Dean Douglas Rivell, told Philly.com. "We really feel people need to talk about this, if being honest and open is going to save a young person’s life. Ben was open. He knew he had an addiction problem. He fought fiercely with a lot of help from the Caron Foundation, and he would want the story to be told to help."

Full obituary included below courtesy of DellaVecchia, Reilly, Smith, and Boyd Funeral Home

Our most beloved, Benjamin Francis Rivell, 28, was taken from this world suddenly on March 20, 2018.

Ben was born in Chester County Hospital, on July 22, 1989 the son of William Howard and Laura Dean Rivell (Douglas).

Ben grew up in Kennett Square, PA attending Greenwood Elementary and Kennett Middle School. He then graduated from St. Mark’s High School in Wilmington, DE in 2007.

Ben joined the U.S. Air Force in 2008 and served during Operation Iraqi Freedom at Air Base Balad, Iraq in 2010.

Ben graduated from West Chester University with a B.S. in Computer Science.

Ben was employed by the University of Pennsylvania school of Engineering as an IT Security Analyst. Ben was also pursuing a graduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania in Computer Science.

Ben had just bought his very first home in Philadelphia and was looking forward to becoming an Uncle this summer.

Ben so enjoyed playing the guitar, making music with his friends, hunting, playing sports such as rugby, football, and lacrosse. Ben also enjoyed sailing the Chesapeake Bay, a good roaring bonfire and spending time with his family and friends.

Ben is survived by his parents –Bill and Laura, Brother Douglas and partner (Nikole), Sister Grace, Grandmother JoAn Rivell, Great Uncle Robert Rivell (Helen), Great Aunt Isabel Rand, Aunt Lynda Rivell Krauss (Steve), Uncle Jeff Rivell (Wendy), Uncle Dean C. Douglas Jr. (Lida), Aunt Anne Douglas Low (Tom), Cousins; Arthur S. Rivell, Corey Low Sonnecken (Brendan), Mathew A. Low (Phoung Anh), Jason Krauss (Elaine), Brian Krauss (Catherine), Kevin Krauss (Paige), and Shannon Shurko.

Ben was preceded in death by his Grandparents, William H. Rivell Sr, Dean C. Douglas Sr., Anne “Nan” G. Douglas, and Godmother Mary Becker.

Visitation and Services will be held at DellaVecchia, Reilly, Smith & Boyd Funeral Home, Inc. 410 N Church St. West Chester, PA 19380, 610-696-1181, www.DellaFH.com, on Wednesday, March 28, 2018 from 5:00- 8:00pm, with a prayer service at 8:00pm. A celebration of life will be held at the same location on Thursday, March 29, 2018 beginning with a viewing at 9:00am, followed by a 10:00am service.

Interment will be private.

Contributions may be made in Ben’s memory to The Scholarship Fund with The Caron Foundation (www.caron.org).

Image via DellaVecchia, Reilly, Smith, and Boyd Funeral Home