Zenaida Villanueva Rivera

Born on March 5, 1928, in the town of Santo Tomas, La Union, Philippines, Zenaida was the youngest of eleven children. Her father, Carlos Zandueta Villanueva (a lawyer who ultimately became the mayor of Santo Tomas), and her mother, Julia Estacio Villanueva (a businesswoman who owned a number of fish and rice ponds in the adjacent town of Rosario), were well-known in the community for their generosity and kindness, using their standing in town to help the people of Santo Tomas. As the youngest child, Zenaida received significant attention from her older siblings, who helped raise and protect her. From a young age, Zenaida was an avid reader, delighting in mystery and detective novels (especially Perry Mason) and developing a strong interest in the English language. While World War II delayed her education by a few years, Zenaida ultimately resumed high school after the war and, in 1951, graduated from the University of the Philippines in Manila with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

Zenaida and Jesus Rivera, her future husband of 66+ years, grew up in the same town and knew each other from a young age. In addition to Jesus’ strong educational achievements and proficiency in mathematics, Zenaida admired his humility, cheerful disposition, and dedication to supporting his family. The two married on October 4, 1953, in Manila, and welcomed their first daughter, Susan, in 1956. In 1958, Jesus accepted an engineering position with the Washington State Department of Highways, and the family became the first of their respective families to immigrate to the United States. The family left Manila by sea in late 1958, stopping in Hong Kong, Kyoto, and Hawaii, before boarding the U.S.S. President Cleveland and arriving at the Port of San Francisco on New Years Day, January 1, 1959. Settling in Seattle, they were immediately taken in and cared for by a close-knit group of Filipinos who helped them transition to their new lives in the USA. The family welcomed a second daughter, Catherine, in 1960, and gained their official U.S. citizenship in 1964. In 1965, the family relocated to Olympia, becoming one of the first Filipino-American families to settle in the community.

Upon arriving in the U.S., Zenaida pursued work as a teacher, working some initial stints at Seattle-area public schools as well as a parochial school, St. Margaret. When the family relocated to Olympia, Zenaida accepted a teaching position at McLane Elementary School, where she taught 6th grade. Zenaida, as the sole Filipino teacher in the Olympia School District, shared her Filipino heritage with students and staff – including teaching them “tinikling,” a traditional Filipino folk dance, which students would perform at school events and for a time was integrated into the school district’s PE curriculum. Later in her teaching career, Zenaida transitioned to teaching ESL at both Jefferson Middle School and Garfield Elementary School, capping 25 years in the Olympia School District and leaving a lasting impression on multiple generations of students.

During her life, Zenaida never wavered from prioritizing her family. Zenaida was a strong partner for Jesus and a loving mother to Susan, Catherine, and their dog Fluffy. Zenaida helped the family navigate through life in the United States, opening the family’s doors to a host of local families and neighborhood kids in a welcoming manner that helped Susan and Catherine build a network of friends and integrate into the community. Additionally, Zenaida was an unyielding advocate for her extended Villanueva and Rivera families. She and Jesus sponsored the immigration of hundreds of relatives from the Philippines, hosting them upon their arrivals, providing support in their quests for citizenship, and helping them adjust to life in a new country.

Beginning in 1987, Zenaida embarked on a second career as a loving grandmother (“Mama”) to three grandsons: Jesse, Jacob, and Jonathan. Zenaida and Jesus took them to mass every Sunday at St. Michael Church (where he and Zenaida were parishioners for 50+ years), which would routinely be followed by a celebratory lunch at Taco Bell. Zenaida kept them well-fed, cooking Filipino dishes such as pancit, lumpia, adobo, mechado, and kare-kare on a regular basis and, on special occasions, arroz caldo. As a teacher, Zenaida strongly invested in their educational pursuits and would proudly see all three of her grandchildren graduate from college and enter the working world, a credit to her constant love and support. Zenaida loved her grandchildren and kept a diary for each grandchild, documenting their earliest childhood memories and later achievements. In her later years, Zenaida was blessed to welcome three great-grandchildren: Payton, Penny, and Peter (whom she coined “Peter Rabbit” following his birth in August 2025).

Over the past few years, Zenaida turned her attention to writing her own autobiography, a rich catalogue of stories from her childhood and early adulthood in the Philippines, including her and her family’s life during World War II (which sadly took the life of her brother, Peter); her family’s immigration to the United States and settlement in Olympia; and her reflections on family, friends, and faith as she recounted her life. Zenaida’s memoirs (which are expected to be released in 2026) evoke the American Dream and will be treasured by her descendants and future generations to come.

Zenaida is survived by her daughters, Susan Rivera-Lee (Olympia, WA) and Catherine Villanueva Rivera (Olympia, WA); her son-in-law, Edmon G. Lee (Olympia, WA); her grandsons, Jesse Mar Rivera Lee (New York, NY), Jacob Mar Rivera Lee (Los Angeles, CA), and Jonathan Mar Rivera Lee and his wife, Faith Lee (Dekalb, IL); and her three great-grandchildren: Payton Grace Lee, Penelope Joy Lee, and Peter Joseph Lee (Dekalb, IL).Zenaida has reunited in heaven with her husband of 66 years, Jesus Estacio Rivera; her parents, Carlos Zandueta Villanueva and Julia Estacio Villanueva; and her ten older siblings: Roman, Adela, Dominador, David, Purita, Sergio, Aurora, Carlos, Julieta, and Peter.

A Funeral Mass with Reception to follow will be held on December 30, 2025, at 12:00 pm at Saint Michael Parish, located at 1208 11th Ave SE, Olympia, WA 98501.