Jesus Estacio Rivera, our loving husband, father, brother, uncle, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully at sunset on the evening of March 25, 2020, in the arms of his family and the Holy Spirit, at the age of 93 years old.
Born on November 27, 1926, in the town of Santo Tomas, La Union, Philippines, Jesus was the second of ten children born to his parents, Juan Rivera and Valentina Estacio Rivera. His father was a policeman, and the family lived in a modest one-bedroom house that fit the entire family, including his dog, Barbon. From an early age, he enjoyed activities such as basketball and playing pool. An entrepreneurial spirit, he started his own business selling horse feed to owners of carriages transporting people between towns, using his earnings to buy fiesta treats like halo-halo. Jesus excelled academically, consistently finishing at the top of his class, particularly in mathematics. In 1951, he graduated with Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the Mapua Institute of Technology in Manila. To build his qualifications for employment, he passed entrance exams for the Philippine Military Academy and U.S. Annapolis Naval Academy, ultimately putting his engineering background to work as a highways engineer with the Manila government.
Jesus and his future wife, Zenaida Villanueva, knew each other from a young age, having grown up in the same town. 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. He and Zenaida would become the first of their families to immigrate to the United States. They left Manila in late 1958 and arrived by sea via the S.S. President Cleveland at the Port of San Francisco on New Years Day, 1959, settling and starting work only days later in Seattle, WA. The family welcomed a second daughter, Catherine, in 1960, and gained their official citizenship in 1964. In 1965, Jesus accepted a promotion requiring the family to relocate to Olympia, WA, becoming one of the first Filipino-American families in the community.
During a 30 year career with the Washington State Department of Highways, Jesus (known to his counterparts as Jesse) rose through the ranks, applying his expertise as a Licensed Professional Engineer to design and approve plans for highways and transportation projects throughout the state and becoming a respected leader in the department. At home, Jesus was a loving husband to Zenaida (a teacher for 25 years in the Olympia School District) and consummate father to Susan and Catherine, as well as the family's dog, Fluffy. He supported Susan's educational aspirations as she would ultimately graduate from the nursing program at the University of Washington. He recognized Catherine's artistic talents from an early age, buying her art supplies and continuing his support as she pursued a career in graphic design, graduating from the University of Washington and ultimately owning her own business, Rivera Design.
Beyond his own family, Jesus served as a patriarch for hundreds of relatives immigrating to the United States. As immigration opened up to Filipinos during 1960s, he sponsored not only the immigration of his parents and siblings, but countless others, providing statements of support to many of his nieces, nephews, and other family and friends who chose to follow in the family's footsteps. The trajectories of these immigrants' lives would forever change as a result of Jesus' generosity and support.
Jesus maintained numerous interests and hobbies, including fishing, clam digging, gardening, golf, card games, and sports. He enjoyed music, notably Benny Goodman and Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, and he liked to travel, from local camping excursions and road trips to visiting friends and family in the Philippines, Canada, and Europe. In the early 1970s, he took up baking, mastering many dessert recipes (some of which he would keep secret). His signature apple pie, along with Filipino desserts such as mochiko and bibingka, became a recurring highlight of birthdays, holidays, and family gatherings.
Following his retirement in 1988, Jesus embarked on a second career as a loving grandfather to three grandsons - Jesse, Jacob, and Jonathan - the sons of Susan and her husband, Edmon. Papa, as they (and eventually the entire family) called him, became an integral part of their daily lives. He gave them haircuts, chauffeured them to and from school, piano lessons and baseball practices (never missing a game or performance), and kept them well fed. He and Zenaida took them to church every Sunday at St. Michael Parish in Olympia (where he and Zenaida were active parishioners for 50+ years), and the mass would routinely be followed by a weekly celebratory lunch at Taco Bell. Jesus would proudly see all three of his grandchildren graduate from college and enter the working world, a credit to his constant support of their endeavors.
In his later years, Jesus enjoyed weekly afternoon trips to the casino (especially when he would win), spending time with his family, and watching every single Mariners broadcast, win or lose. He maintained his lifelong sense of humor, appetite for Puget Sound oysters, and a remarkable ability to smile for the camera, leaving tons of footage that the family will treasure for years to come. In March, he was thrilled to learn that his grandson Jonathan and his wife Faith had welcomed a baby girl, Payton Grace Lee: his great-granddaughter. Pictures of Payton kept him smiling, ear to ear, in his final days.
Jesus is survived by his wife of 66 years, Zenaida Villanueva Rivera (Olympia, WA); his daughters, Susan Rivera-Lee (Olympia, WA) and Catherine Villanueva Rivera (Olympia, WA); his son-in-law, Edmon G. Lee (Olympia, WA); his grandsons, Jesse Mar Rivera Lee (New York, NY), Jacob Mar Rivera Lee (Los Angeles, CA), and Jonathan Mar Rivera Lee (wife - Faith Lee) (Dekalb, IL); and his great-granddaughter, Payton Grace Lee (Dekalb, IL).
We miss Papa's loving and optimistic spirit every day, but we know he will be with us forever, smiling down on us from above. We love you, Papa, and we look forward to seeing you again someday soon.
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