John is survived by his wife, Vicki; children Dave, Alayna and Nick; brother Mike Riefer; and nieces Jessica (Joshua) La Fountain; Lindsey (Brad) Lynch; and nephew Tom (Krista) Vasile; and several other nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and many dear friends.

John’s life story will be shared during his visitation at the funeral home, Saturday, March 1st, 12-4 PM at the funeral home, 1411 Vintage Lane, (Between 390 & Long Pond Rd.). In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent Pancreatic Cancer Association of WNY, PO Box 24580, Rochester, NY 14624 IN John’s memory.

John was the youngest of three boys, born to Nancy and John (Jack) Riefer on January 8, 1964. From the start, John was a twinkle in his mom’s eye since she was a big Elvis fan and John happened to be born on Elvis’ birthday. John grew up in Gates NY.

His family lived on a dead-end street which became a hub known for fun block parties and a great place for John and his brothers, Mike and Chris, to grow up. The neighborhood and John’s home served as a gathering place for John and his friends and from that, numerous deep and close friendships developed that are still thriving today.

John went to Gates Chili High School and to Rochester Institute of Technology. John held several jobs until landing a job at Xerox Corporation, following in his father’s footsteps. Once there, he met and married Vicki, gained a son Dave, and eventually became a dad to Alayna and Nick.

John was a loving husband, always attentive, patient and caring. John was an outstanding parent, always putting a smile on everyone’s face, and a calming presence except for maybe when watching his kids play basketball. John loved the game of basketball, coached his son in the game, and put in a basketball court in the backyard, where the kids first learned how to ride bikes on the paved court to playing pickup games with his friends and with his children (but never taking it easy on them). John was the neighborhood parent who was truly a kid at heart, evidenced by all the neighborhood kids wanting John to play any type of sports game with them.

John was a passionate Minnesota Vikings football fan beginning early in his life. He began going to one home game in Minnesota every year with his friends until his kids were old enough, and then they started their own tradition of going to one game together every year. He even called dibs on naming the family’s first dog Moss after the one and only Randy Moss.

John was blessed with having special long-lasting friendships with some very special people. He was fun loving, had a comical sarcastic humor streak and a beautiful smile that will be missed by many that were fortunate enough to have him in their lives. Stories about cabin parties and adventures such as white water rafting showed how much John was loved by his close friends.