A celebration of life for Lionel A. Rijo, a 1998 Roxana High School graduate and Navy veteran, will take place at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, July 24, at the Rox Arena, 2 Park Drive, Roxana.
Rijo was a high school standout in football and wrestling, who took second place in the state finals of the International Kids Wrestling Federation his senior year.
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After high school, he joined the U.S. Navy and served four years as an aviation mechanic, including duty in the Pacific and off the coast of Japan. In service, he took advantage of a Harley-Davidson program for deployed military and bought his first motorcycle, which his mother. Pam Laubscher, still rides.
As a civilian, he continued his education in aviation mechanics earning an associate’s degree. He was pursuing a bachelor of science degree at Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University when he died suddenly on July 27, 2020, in Jacksonville, Florida.
A military salute by the Honor Guard of VFW Post 1308 in Alton will open the celebration Saturday. All are invited. Donations may be made in Rijo’s memory to the Oasis Women’s Center in Alton. For more information, call Pam Laubscher at (618) 550-6660. Please leave a message.
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