HEUVELTON – LaRissa Jane Hays, age 24, passed away unexpectedly at home in Heuvelton on August 4, 2025.

There will be calling hours held at the Gouverneur Community Center, 4673 State Highway 58, Gouverneur NY 13642 on Wednesday, August 13, 2025 from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. and from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. followed by her funeral service at 4:00 p.m. After the service there will be a Celebration of Life held at the Heuvelton Fire Department. Arrangements are with French Funeral Home in Gouverneur. Condolences may be shared online at www.frenchfuneralhomes.com.

LaRissa was born on June 6, 2001 in Ogdensburg to Gary W. Hays, Jr. and Melissa Crobar. She graduated from Heuvelton Central School in 2020 where she was a cheerleader and a member of the track team. LaRissa studied at SUNY Canton and SUNY Potsdam. She loved taking care of people. LaRissa worked as a Direct Support Personnel for United Helpers in Heuvelton and Ogdensburg, was a Home Health Aide, and currently was working as a Registration Clerk for Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center.

LaRissa loved her family; they were everything to her. She was a country girl with the biggest heart and was truly beautiful inside and out. She was not afraid to speak her mind, would tell you how it was, and had no filter. LaRissa loved animals, especially horses, and had a special way with children.

She is survived by her father, Gary "Buzz" Hays, Jr., her mother and her fiancé, Melissa Crobar and Scott Rivers, her fiancé, Brandon Klock and his daughter, Briella, brothers, Gary "Bucky" Hays, III and his wife (and LaRissa's best friend), Rebecca "Becky", Emmitt Hays, and her step-brother, Bailey Rivers. She is also survived by her paternal grandparents, Gary Hays, Sr. and Jacklyn Hays, her dog, Asher, and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. She is predeceased by her maternal grandparents, Kenneth and Jane Crobar.

Donations in memory of LaRissa may be made to the Potsdam Humane Society, 17 Madrid Ave., Potsdam NY 13676.