Ivan was a core member of the online gaming group where I met him. I know him there as Fanta. We have never been the type of group that tries to climb the ranks of games and achieve online prestige because we have already attained our greatest accomplishment: finding each other.

Fanta was a critical part of the formation of this group. He fostered community by ensuring everyone would be included and would invite anyone he would meet online. He lightened the mood with jokes and stories and would host movie nights where everyone was included. His warm demeanor helped create our safe haven with a splash of Fanta fun.

I am grateful for the impact you have had on our lives, Ivan. We will miss you always and are so blessed by the joy and laughter you brought us to help escape the mundane. Rest easy, friend.

Ivan was an unexpected friendship that I will forever cherish. 
Ivan met me during my time as an online streamer. He was so silly when I first met him in person at Twitchcon. Upon first meeting in person, a funny moment was he’d poke me or squeeze my arm and I’d look at him thinking, “what’s he doing?” , it was like he read my mind and he responded to me, “I’m just making sure you’re real.” How funny.  From that point on our friendship blossomed and I found myself someone who I could truly call a friend. 
Ivan visited me 3 times, twice in Northern California and once in Utah. He took the time out of his life to make time and visit me and I will forever be grateful to him. 
I feel hurt, sad, and regret. I wish I could’ve seen Ivan again. Rest easy Ivan. I’ll miss you so much.

Ivan was one-of-a-kind. He would always spin the most absurd stories with a straight face. One time he spent half an hour convincing me that pineapples were the result of a scientific experiment gone wrong in India. After I looked it up, he let me in on the joke with a laugh, enjoying the moment of surprise and the shared laughter that always followed.

I'm really going to miss those moments. Every time I think of him, it's those bursts of laughter and the silly grins we all had that come to mind. I'll miss him always.

Ivan was great dude. He was a genuinely kind person, and I will miss him a lot. He was a glue guy in the sense that he really helped people to let their guard down and mesh with each other. I owe a lot of my friendships to him, and I will think about him for the rest of my life. 

I think I always try to reason with myself when I feel regret. It's a nasty emotion, and one that has dogged me at different points of my life for different reasons. I try to remember that it's impossible to live a perfect life, and, often, other's lives have the appearance of being perfect when they are really not. What I feel right now, though, is regret. I regret not spending more time with Ivan. I regret not reaching out to him more often to see how he was doing. I spent a ton of time with him throughout the years, but, at the moment, it doesn't feel like enough. Coping is difficult, but I will remember him and remember that he would want others to live a life of happiness. I will remember him for all the good he did, and all the joy he brought to other people's lives. I think that's what he would have wanted.

OBITUARY

Sean Elliot Kiri (Ivan Lopez)

15 May, 1998 – 8 January, 2025

Desert View Funeral Home & Memorial Park

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