WESTERLO — Brandy Lynn Riley, a woman who unearthed buried treasures and mined happiness from rocky ground, died on Friday, Aug. 7, 2015. She was 31.

“God gained one angel,” her family wrote in a tribute.

“Brandy was always happy. She had a happy spirit,” said her boyfriend, Brian Blakeslee. “She was always seeking to make other people happy... That’s all she cared about was to make people happy.”

Describing Ms. Riley as a mother, Mr. Blakeslee said, “She was everything. She was everything. And she was the best. She was at the forefront of their lives. She made them happy, which made her happy.”

She was an “amazing stepmother” to his children and devoted to her children. “She was always there for them,” said Mr. Blakeslee.

The couple’s son, Brian, is now 4-and-a-half years old. “She breastfed him for two years and she made her own baby food for him. She always did what was best for him,” he said.

Her boyfriend introduced her to metal detecting and, he said, “She found treasure and got addicted...She loved to find things.” Among her treasures were pennies from the 1800s.

She also loved to bake, particularly cakes and pastries. “She made the most beautiful birthday cakes,” said Mr. Blakeslee.

“She loved life,” he said.

“Her love and compassion was one of a kind,” her family wrote. “She deeply cared for everyone around her and even those that weren't part of her family. Brandy was very giving and will be remembered for her countless times that she helped those in need. She will forever be loved and missed.”

Mr. Blakeslee said he learned an important lesson from Ms. Riley. “I was the kind of guy who held grudges,” he said. “She always told me grudges weren’t a good thing. She taught me it’s a waste of time, and it’s negative energy. She taught me to forgive.”

He went on, “She was my soul mate. I loved her with all my heart. She always called me her angel because she came from a bad childhood and I helped her.”

He concluded, “She was the closest thing to God I ever experienced. We both completed each other.”

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Brandy Lynn Riley is survived by her mother, Kacey Prostler, of Hunter; her father, Joseph Riley, of Tennessee; a sister, Tara Murphy of North Carolina; and brothers Andrew Riley of Tennessee and Andy Postler of Hunter, as well as the love of her life, Brian Blakeslee.

She is also survived by her children, Damien Quick, Melody Stupplebeen, and Brian Blakeslee Jr., and by her stepchildren, Nichole, Heather, Amy, Amanda, and Brianna Blakeslee.

She is survived, too, by her nieces and nephew, Abby and Kayla Honlon and Dezeray, Destiny and Andrew Jr. Riley.

Friends may call at the Meyers Funeral Home at 741 Delaware Ave. in Delmar on Thursday, Aug. 13, from 5 to 7 p.m.

— Melissa Hale-Spencer