Finding Love After Tragedy

Jameson Riley never met his future mother-in-law, but he knows that she was a strong woman who touched everyone she knew with her positive outlook and bright smile.  He sees her strength everyday in his fiancée, Jessica Lombardi, and wants to give her the wedding of her dreams — a well-earned happy ending.

In September 2008, Jessica Lombardi’s paternal grandfather, Gerardo Lombardi, murdered her mother, Alison McKnight, on the lawn of her Greenwich home. McKnight was stabbed 49 times and shot three times in an attack spurred by a property dispute.

Gerardo Lombardi was convicted of first-degree manslaughter in July 2010, sentenced to 40 years in prison. For Jessica Lombardi, now 26, and her two brothers — moving forward following their mother’s death has been difficult, but there are plenty of reasons for hope.

“It’s obviously shaped who I am, but it doesn’t define me,” Lombardi told Patch. “What happened was horrific, but my mom would want me to enjoy my life.”

Lombardi and Riley now live in Stamford with their new puppy. Lombardi, originally from Greenwich, works as a dental hygienist. Riley, born in Norwalk, works in the family business, as the general manager of .

“My mom had a Volvo station wagon that she drove for years and years, out of the blue here comes someone from Volvo. She would be having a big laugh over that, she is having a big laugh,” Lombardi said.

Riley and Lombardi attended the together and had one mutual class. Riley remembers her as the beautiful girl in his Shakespeare class, Lombardi remembers him as the guy who raced cars. They were both dating other people at the time and their relationship never progressed beyond some innocent flirtation.

Lombardi and Riley had no mutual friends on Facebook, but in December 2009, her name came up in the “People You May Know” section of his page anyway — a phenomenon the pair credit to Lombardi’s mother.

“I do think she was playing with the Facebook gods,” Lombardi said with a smile. “She was pretty tech savvy, she’d text me all the time and when we talked on the phone, she’d always joke that I was wasting her minutes.”

When they re-met, Lombardi told Riley simply that her mother had passed away. His mother, who follows local news, recognized her name and asked if she could be the same person.

“Of course I wondered at first how this would affect our relationship, but really it only made me love her more knowing she’s such a strong person,” Riley said.

“As soon as I opened the door I got butterflies,” Lombardi said. “I had to take things slowly though, I had the fear I’d be left and it took time for me to realize he wasn’t going anywhere.”

Lombardi and Riley quickly bonded over a shared love of travel and coffee. They began spending just about all of their time together and never looked back, they both describe each other as a soul mate and best friend. Difficult times were still ahead, however, and Riley stood by Lombardi as she testified in her grandfather's trial.

“She was very reserved about it, I knew it was something she needed to close out on her own,” he said.

Riley proposed on January 8 at Tarry Lodge in Port Chester — one year after the two had re-met.

“He seemed nervous that morning — he picked me up from work because of the snow and seemed distracted then too,” Lombardi said. “I had no idea it was coming. I wish I'd known.”

Lombardi wears her mother’s ring — a beautiful and unique setting that reflects her mother’s impeccable taste and seems perfectly suited for Lombardi too. She plans to wear her mother’s pearls when she and Riley marry on August 28 at Waveny Park in New Canaan.

“We initially wanted a small wedding because her mom wouldn’t be there,” Riley explained. “We thought about just eloping.”

“But we couldn’t do that, we’re not hermits,” Lombardi added. “I want a day I can remember forever.”

Estranged from one side of her family, Lombardi and Riley are working within a small budget to create their big day. They have recruited many friends to help out — a photographer Riley knows from racing cars, caterers who are family friends, and a band that went to high school with Lombardi.

They have entered Crate & Barrel’s ultimate wedding contest with the hopes of winning $100,000 for their dream wedding. They are asking for the community’s support to make it to the top 100 finalists by the time voting closes on April 30. Help them out by voting at the Ultimate Wedding Contest's website.

Lombardi’s two brothers have also found their way over the past few years. Her younger brother, R.J. Lombardi, was just ten years old at the time of his mother’s murder.

“I just got a random email from one of his teachers about how great he is,” Lombardi said, filled with pride over her brother. “He is such a great kid with such a big heart. He really is going to grow up and do something amazing.”

Lombardi’s older brother, Chris Lombardi,and his wife, Jaime,  also live in Stamford and recently celebrated the arrival of their first daughter, Daisy.

When the three siblings come together to celebrate Lombardi and Riley's wedding in August, they will be making new memories and celebrating just how far they all have come in three short years.

“I don’t have to be on my own anymore. I once again have a home filled with love and happy memories,” Lombardi said. "My mom is always with me. She’s my heart and soul, the reason I am able to love and trust and have this happy, wonderful life."