Jason Bodhi Riley, the eldest of three children, was born in San Jose, California, on Mother's Day, May 11, 1986, to Arthur and Nancy Riley. Arthur, a graduate teaching assistant, was pursuing his Master's in Economics at San Jose State University.
Nancy was also enrolled at San Jose State University, but she wasn't committed to any particular area of study. Instead, she liked to take classes she thought might be interesting. At the time of Jason's birth, she was studying art history, early childhood development, and dance. Nancy dabbled in Buddhism but, again, was not entirely committed to the practice.
Upon graduation in 1987, Arthur was hired as a research analyst at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and the family relocated to Sacramento.
In September 1988, Nancy gave birth to another son, Matthew Bodhi Riley, and in 1991 gave birth to a daughter, Kathleen Bodhi Riley. Nancy didn't believe in discipline, and Arthur spent many hours at work, so the Riley children were free to do as they pleased without much consequence.
In 2001, when Jason was 15, he was caught stealing from a neighbor's house and charged with burglary. The charges were dropped when the neighbor's son admitted that he had given Jason a key and permission to borrow his video game system. The parties involved chose to overlook the fact that Jason had also borrowed many other items.
Six months later, Arthur discovered numerous items in Jason's room that had apparently been stolen from other neighbors. Arthur's cousin, Wanda White, a parole officer living in Oxford, Mississippi, agreed to let Jason live with her temporarily because Arthur believed she had the skills and resources to straighten Jason out.
Life with Wanda was the polar opposite of what Jason was accustomed to, but he eventually accepted her strict rules and understood that her tough love actually was love. Wanda and Jason grew very close, and Jason chose to stay with her rather than return to Sacramento.
After graduating from high school in 2004, Jason worked for an auto body shop in Oxford, where he specialized in luxury vehicles. When Wanda retired in 2010, she purchased an auto body shop that she and Jason manage together. Their employees include parolees convicted of non-violent crimes.
Last year, Jason met church secretary Fay Nutt when she brought her car in for service. Their chemistry was palpable, and when she came back to pick up her car, he asked her out. They have been dating ever since, casually at first but more seriously in recent months.