Juanita R Rivera

In loving memory of our mother, Juanita R. Rivera, who passed away on January 5, 2023. Juanita was the devoted wife of Fred G. Rivera and loving mother of Jose Rivera, Mary Helen Reloba, Olga Cooper, Margaret Castleman, Angelica Rivera-Shipman, Toni Saizan. A loving Grandmother of 18 Grandchildren, 35 Great-Grandchildren and 3 Great-Great Grandchildren. She has 5 sons-in-law, Michael Reloba, Ronald Cooper, Rob Castleman, Bryan Shipman, Jon Saizan and 1 daughter-in-law Evie Rivera. She is survived by her last remaining sibling, Inez Diaz, whom she was very close to, and they spoke almost daily.

Juanita was born in Merced, CA into a very large family. She was raised on a farm and in her teens went to work in order to help her family financially. She loved to go to dances and socialize with her siblings and friends. In her twenties she married our father, Fred G. Rivera and blended their families and grew the family to six children. Once her two youngest children went to school, she decided to go to work. For the next 9 years she worked as a yard duty/lunch duty assistant and eventually a teacher’s assistant at Mt. Pleasant Elementary and August Boeger Middle School. She was very strict but fair with all the students and they loved her. She eventually went to work at Milpitas Montessori School and found her joy for teaching. Juanita decided she wanted to get her teaching credentials and went back to school. She worked as a Montessori Teacher until she retired.

Our mother was always there for us, putting the needs of her family before her own. She instilled in us the importance of family, hard work and doing what is right. She was a strong woman who faced every challenge in her life with courage and dignity. Our mother was a source of inspiration to us all and she will be deeply missed by everyone whose lives she touched.

The funeral service will be held at Oak Hill Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 300 Curtner Ave, San Jose, CA 95125, Chapel of the Roses on Thursday, February 2, 2023. Visitation 11am-12pm, Service 12pm-1pm and Burial 1pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Bristol Hospice.