Hundreds remember Naples man killed in suspected DUI crash

Author: Kim Powell
Published: Updated:

MARCO ISLAND, Fla. – A father of four, killed by a suspected drunk driver last weekend, was laid to rest Saturday.

“This is the hardest thing my family has ever had to go through,” Jessica Riner, Cecil’s wife, said to a crowd of more than one hundred people.

33-year-old Cecil Riner and his wife were on their way home from a holiday party when their car was hit by a suspected drunk driver.

Family and friends came together after the funeral Saturday morning, for a celebration of life. Hundreds of people came out to show their support for this Naples family. Jessica says this has been really hard on the whole family.

“You go from being really sad to really angry to being okay, to being really sad to angry again,” Jessica said. “And then just when you feel like you’re doing okay you walk inside and see a kid screaming, and it’s going to be really, really hard.”

His wife gave a short speech at the gathering, talking about how great of a man he was.

A lot of people say he was the kind of guy who always made time for his family, whether that was to help out with school work, football practice, or to just be there for them.

“He told me goodbye, he didn’t die instantly and he told me he loved me, he told me he loved the kids, and he knew that he was going to go to a better place.”

One friend said he could always tell when Cecil walked into a room, because he just had that kind of personality.

“I feel like Cecil’s here with us, this is exactly what he would want; the weather’s perfect, friends are having a good time, and most importantly everyone’s all eating a lot. He was eating every time you saw him so I feel like he loved the way everything turned out,” said Jessica.

If there’s anything Cecil loved as much as his family, it was four-wheeling. His friends say he brought it up in every conversation they had. Had the benefit for the family, his racing number 818 was printed on shirts and his boots and 4-wheeler were on display. His racing buddies say they will be helping the family in any way they can.

“I don’t know a lot about boys so I’m going to need a lot of help with the boys,” Jessica said.

Still battered and bruised herself, with Cecil’s wedding ring around her neck, Jessica says she’s trying to stay strong. She says with Christmas less than a week away, she knows it just won’t be the same without him.

“I haven’t wrapped a single gift. I don’t even like looking at the tree because Christmas will never be the same. I feel like I’ve been robbed my happiness.”

One of the main messages, people at the celebration say, was to get out the message, that drinking and driving is not okay.

The man accused of hitting Riner, Rene Miles, is still behind bars.

 

Copyright ©2025 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.