Alma Ocampo Rivera

Alma Rivera was born the middle child of five siblings on April 29th, 1956 in Manila, Philippines. She married Vic Rivera on December 8th, 1981 and had their child, Charlie Rivera, on November 6th, 1990. Alma worked as an Accountant Analyst at Bank of Philippine Islands (BPI) for almost 25 years. She and her family migrated to Vancouver, BC, Canada in May 2003, where she found her second family at Winners Retail store in Downtown Vancouver. She worked there for 15 years as a Cash Office Accountant. In February 2015, she was diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer. Later that year, July 2015, she was also diagnosed with Liver Cirrhosis. The following year, in May 2016, she had a knee replacement surgery. Alma’s faith and her strong familial support have carried her through these challenging times. She endured treatment after treatment, and yet nothing could break the smile on her face. Her final days were spent with her family and friends close to her bedside every night. She passed away peacefully on Monday, June 10th, 2019, age 63 at Burnaby Hospital. “She always meditated – not through yoga, but through her Novena Chaplets. She was always quiet – not because she’s mad, but because she would be praying the Rosary. She was not physically strong, but her faith in God is strong as a rock.” – Charlie Rivera