Brianna Rizzi

1984 - 2022

Brianna Noelle Rizzi, beloved mother, wife, sister, and daughter, left this world on Tuesday the 4th of January at her home in Pueblo, Colorado after a brief illness. Brianna was born on Christmas day, 1984 to Michael and Lynn Oliver at Penrose East Hospital in Colorado Springs. She always held the holiday season as her absolute favorite. Decorations would go up early and remain as long as possible into the new year. Brianna joined her parents and her older brother, Jesse Oliver, in their Penrose home where they lived happily. She and her brother loved the horses, the chickens and ducks, and especially the wide-open spaces to explore. She played in the pottery studio with her mother, excelled at playing the clarinet and the saxophone, and loved having her friends over to join in the fun. Backyard campfires were always required. She graduated from Florence High School in the spring of 2003. Brianna was a standout student in High School maintaining a 3.95 GPA. She was named to the all-state band, elected class president all four years, was a member of the golf and volleyball teams, and served as the wrestling manager throughout high school. After High School Brianna attended Colorado College where she graduated with a Bachelors of Art in History . Her love of travel led her to take advantage of the study abroad program where she lived in Florence, Italy for a semester, cementing her love of Italy. She went on to work in a variety of careers including working with the USADA, the Olympic testing agency, a law firm as a intake supervisor, and recently a business owner and grant writer. While at the law firm she earned her Masters of Science in Leadership and Management from Regis University. One of her greatest companions on earth was Connor, a golden mix. They were the best of friends. Then Brianna met the love of her life in January 2015 and married Christopher Rizzi on October 8th, 2016. They began a beautiful life together in Pueblo, CO where she gave birth to two wonderful children, Ryan (3) and Aria (1). In 2018 Brianna and her husband Christopher opened her dream store, "The Avenue Art and Antiques" in Pueblo, CO, a wonderful store where she loved to spend her time selling her own art, conversing with customers, arranging beautiful displays, and shopping for special pieces to include in her collection. Brianna's passions were deep. A talented photographer, she was a member of multiple galleries and won numerous awards including first place in Professional Photography at the Colorado State Fair in August 2019, a very proud moment for her entire family. Her love of music also continued through her life. Family "dance parties" were a normal occurrence when Christopher came home from work. Travel was also an enduring passion for Brianna, a love given to her by her parents that she continued throughout her life. She shared this joy with her children by showing them all wonders around them. Her growing family occupied her whole heart. Art projects were a commonplace, along with trips to the zoo and park. She loved taking her family to the nature center river for long strolls and to her family's cabin, her most special place, where they could explore the mountains and the beauty of Colorado. Brianna is survived by her husband, Christopher Rizzi and her two children Ryan and Aria Rizzi. She is also survived by her parents Michael Oliver and Lynn Lemmon-Oliver; her brother Jesse Oliver (KaRene); her Grandmother Lee Jones (Pat Potter); her mother and father in-law Eugene Rizzi (Kathy); her sister-in-law Jennifer Alvarado (Chad); her sister-in-law Andrea Juliano (Felix); and her brother-in-law Nicholas (Liza). Brianna was dearly loved by her nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and classmates and her memory and spirit will be kept alive. Family and friends are invited to attend a celebration of life for Brianna on Friday the 14th of January at the Pueblo Christian Center, 1605 S. Pueblo Blvd, in Pueblo at 10:30 in the morning. A graveside burial will follow for family and close friends at Imperial Gardens. Brianna would encourage you to dream big, travel the world, invest in the art that makes you happy, pursue your passions with unabashed drive and love those around you with fierce loyalty. Her Light and Love will be missed by all the many lives she touched during her brief time with us.