This was just one example of who Felicita was and how she impacted those around her. Felicita was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Felicita wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Felicita was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.
She was the daughter of Francisco and Carlina Rivera. Felicita was raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico between the Barrios of Tibes and Guaraguao. Always at the ready with a good joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Felicita might describe her as an idealist, her friends and family understood well that Felicita was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to her.
Felicita was raised with eleven siblings. Felicita was very accepting and supportive of her family. She was perceived as the central person in her family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Felicita was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Felicita well in her adult life and, along with her wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew her.
As a young girl, Felicita was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew her into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Felicita was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with her peers. She was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. Felicita's memorable achievements included spending her days in the mountains helping her mom and relatives onthe farm (washing clothes at the side of the river, bringing cafe and food to her father and the workers in the coffee and sugar cane fields). She helped take care of her siblings, and she worked at multiple homes of doctors. Felicita had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity she and the many childhood friends she shared might discover.
Felicita was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made her an exceptional worker. Her primary occupation was childcare. Felicita was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize her. Felicita had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of her gift for insight. Felicita's fellow workers saw her as a supporter and a mentor.
Because Felicita loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were gardening, cooking (her Arroz con Gandules was famous), watching novelas, and traveling to Puerto Rico and visiting her family. Felicita had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes. However, Felicita's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.
Felicita was a woman who was dedicated and devoted to her faith. She was a devout Catholic, member of Mount Carmel Church for over 40 years. During that time, she prayed the rosary daily, she prayed for everyone daily, she taught all of "her kids" how to pray. She was sympathetic and able to empathize with others and she used these qualities to the fullest while working tirelessly for her beliefs.
Felicita's love of improvising in her daily life was a perfect fit for her enjoyment of traveling. Her favorite vacations were ones that were not planned. Traveling in a casual manor fit her personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, Felicita took her vacations seriously, well, as seriously as she possibly could. Favorite vacations included traveling to Puerto Rico and visiting her family.
Felicita Rivera passed away on July 8, 2018 at Grant Cuesta Sub-Acute and Rehabilitation Center in Mountain View, California. She is survived by her brother Rafael, sister Cristina and countless nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews and several great grand nieces , great-grand nephews in addition to cousins, second cousins and God children. She was a Godmother to many. Services were held at Redwood Chapel. Felicita was laid to rest in Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Los Altos, California.
There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Felicita. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Felicita Rivera for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Felicita was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with her loved ones.
