David R Rivera

July 03, 2023, David Richard Rivera, passed away peacefully at the HopeWest Mike and Kay Ferris Care Center in Grand Junction, CO, surrounded by his family. David was born on April 17, 1947, in Del Norte, CO, to Jacinto and Virginia Rivera (Duran).

In 1954 David’s parents moved to Eagle County, first Red Cliff and then Minturn, from the San Luis Valley. David was a member of the last class to attend Battle Mountain High School while it was still located in Red Cliff and was a member of the first class to graduate from Battle Mountain High School at Maloit Park. David was a proud Husky and participated in football, wrestling, baseball, and the marching band.

After graduating high school in 1965, David moved to Denver to attend barber school. The action in Vietnam had just begun in 1965. In May 1967, out of duty to his country, David enlisted in the Army to serve for three years. Upon completing basic training at Ft. Bliss in El Paso, Texas, David went home to Minturn, Colorado, for a short leave of absence to marry his high school sweetheart, Lucy Sanchez. After the nuptials, it was off to San Antonio, Texas, to be trained as a medical record transcriber. On December 15, less than 7 months after enlisting, Dave was sent to Nha Trang, Vietnam’s 8th Field Hospital. Dave’s primary duty was registering the injured and deceased from the fields and inventorying their belongings and valuables. The valuables were shipped with the soldiers to hospitals or home to their mourning families. David safely returned home from Vietnam in December of 1968 to his new bride. He would serve the remainder of his duty, until 1970, in San Antonio, Texas, where Dave and Lucy would welcome their first child DeeAnn Rivera.

Honorably discharged from the Army, Sergeant Rivera and his wife would return to their hometown of Minturn to begin to raise a family. Dave found an employment opportunity with the United States Postal Service in Vail, Colorado as a clerk. Eventually, clerking led to a Postmaster position in Avon, Colorado (1978 - 1985). David would move his now family of four, welcoming their youngest daughter Danelle Rivera in 1975, down-valley to Eagle, Colorado. The Postmaster position in Eagle became available in 1985. Dave would serve the community of Eagle for 17 years as their Postmaster, where long-time local residents of the town remember his helpful nature and dedication to his job. Their community honored David and Lucy when they were asked to serve as the 1992 Eagle Flight Days Grand Marshals. In 2002 David retired from the USPS and moved to the desert oasis of Grand Junction to be close to family.

David loved the outdoors. In his younger years, Dave enjoyed hunting and camping up Red and White Mountain; in his later years, he was golfing with friends at the various golf courses the western slope offers. David was a competitive participant in the Western Colorado Senior Games, earning a collection of medals (13 Gold, 23 Silver, and 15 Bronze). He loved to travel with his family and friends to various local and international locations. With a song always in his heart, he enjoyed attending live concerts and dancing with his wife.

David was preceded in death by his father, Jacinto. David is survived by his wife of 55 years, Lucy Rivera; his daughters Dr. DeeAnn Rivera (Dr. Peter Fuhr) and Danelle Rivera (Devin DuPree); his only grandchild Lucas Fuhr; his mother, Virginia Rivera; his sister Jacqueline Calvillo (Jose Calvillo); his brother Anthony Rivera (Cerily Rivera). Many beloved sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, and godchildren also survive David.

Services will be held Monday, July 24, 2023, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church at 10:30 am. The interment will follow at 1 pm at Veterans Cemetery of Western Colorado in Grand Junction, Colorado. There will be a luncheon and memorial video following the interment at St. Joseph’s Parish Hall. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.callahan-edfast.com for the Rivera family. Click on ‘Recent Obituaries’ at the top of the page and you can find a link for David’s page.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.callahan-edfast.com for the Rivera family.