John G. Rivera

On the thirteenth of June, 2026, the Rivera family lost its patriarch John Garcia Rivera. He leaves behind his loyal wife of 65 years Marie Rivera, daughter Brigitte (Ella Marie), daughter Karen, son John Parris, daughter Melissa, and sister Betty Rivera. He is also survived by 9 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren, and one cat.

 He is preceded in death by his mother Aurora Noriega, father Miquel Rivera, brother Miguel Rivera Jr., and daughter Marlene. 

Known as Johnny to some, he was born and raised in Rosenberg, Texas before relocating to Wisconsin for a short period to work with his father. He returned to Texas where he met his future wife and together they moved to California where he spent the remainder of his life.

During the early 1990’s he was a self-employed business operator of Rivera’s Cleaning Company, who, along with his wife, worked in the greater Sacramento area and Davis. His tireless work ethic also earned him a job with Sacramento State in facilities management where he eventually retired after a 27 year tenure.

He enjoyed conversations with strangers, telling jokes, philosophy, and poetry but his true love was with books. He was an avid reader, often caught with a book in hand, his favorite stories being spy novels with his favorite authors being Ian Fleming, Ken Follet, Sidney Sheldon, Richard Patterson, Sue Grafton, Tom Clancy, Eric van Lustbader, and Michael Crichton just to name a few. His love for chocolate ice cream was fierce and only matched by his love for his wife's cooking. He practiced tai chi for a short time, always rooted for the Dallas Cowboys, watched almost every episode of Jeopardy, and was diligent about taking walks around the neighborhood where he greeted everyone he met. 

There will be no formal service but please sign the guestbook or leave a comment. In Lew of flowers please donate to the Stroke Foundation on his behalf.

 Favorite Quote: “To thy own self be true.”