Guillermo Arturo Rivera Rincon

Vierra Falls Church in Falls Church, Virginia. He was 81 years old. He passed after conversing

with his wife of 48 years, Maria del Carmen Prosdocimi de Rivera, and after requesting “white

pants” for he declared he was “going to a funeral.” Dr. Rivera had settled in Arlington, Virginia

for more than 40 years but his heart never left the Dominican Republic (D.R.). Born on January

10, 1942, in Santo Domingo, he was raised during a 31-year dictatorship. He knew an abundance

of love in his home. This nurturing countered the government’s oppression and the economic

insecurity his family experienced, like many Dominicans at the time. He grew up in the world of

his mother and aunts, siblings and cousins, of santos and spirits, and yellow butterflies that would

swarm in spring. From the women in his family, he learned loyalty, discipline, spirituality, and

how to develop wit and tell a good joke or story. Dr. Rivera has always been known to have “un

carácter fuerte” (a strong character). He’s naturally outspoken and passionate. After enduring a

culture of silence, he needed to shout and to pursue higher education. He held sacred the freedom

to profess and debate ideas. He also believed in social justice and felt that one had an obligation to

contribute, to try to change communities for the better. He knew that change is incremental and

that dialogue spearheads change, but he also knew that action must follow discourse. He inherited

these principles not just from the women in his family but his mentor, Juan Bosch, the writer and

first democratically-elected president of the D.R.. Dr. Rivera’s beliefs led him to help organize the

largest protest against the U.S. occupation of the D.R. in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he pursued

a master's in economics in the mid-1960s at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. He would

later complete a Ph.D. in economics at the University of Toulouse in Toulouse, France, where he

met his life partner and comrade, Maria, who he affectionately called “Ketu.” Together, the couple

lived in the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, and, eventually, settled in United States

where they raised four children – Alejandro, Michel, Patricia, and Ines. During this time, Dr.

Rivera worked as a Development Economist for the World Bank, Organization of American States,

InterAmerican Development Bank, and the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Washington

D.C.. These institutions took him around the world where he led and developed projects that

empowered and helped individuals in countries like the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti,

Kenya, Nicaragua, the Philippines, and Paraguay. Family became a driving force behind all his

actions, not only because he loved his family fiercely, but because family is a microcosm of larger

society. He eagerly discussed universal issues with his wife and kids, and exposed them to cultures

different from their own, always emphasizing the importance of considering different perspectives

in the pursuit of resolutions and in the development of oneself. He was a father who led by

example, smiled often, and would do anything for his family. He was a man who would always

greet you with “my friend,” “my brother,” “my sister,” as though opening a space for conversation.

Dr. Rivera will be dearly missed by his wife, four children, five grandkids, and friends and family

around the globe.

A religious service (10:30 am) and celebration of life (1-2 pm) will be held on Thursday, July

13, 2023.

 10:30 am: Saint Agnes Catholic Church, 1910 N Randolph Street, Arlington, VA 22207.

 1-2 pm: Demaine Funeral Home, 520 S. Washington St., Alexandria, VA 22314.

 For questions, contact Alex Rivera, 202-679-7500.

 In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Saint Jude Children’s Research