Rodolfo Rivera

Rodolfo Benavides Rivera died May 23, 2021 in Gulfport, MS. He was 91 years old.

He was born on February 26, 1930 in the Philippines as one of three children. His parents were Eusebio Miclat Rivera and Silvina Benavidez.

Rodolfo was a hard-working and ambitious man. As a young man, he worked at the Cesar Basa Air Base, an airbase operated by the Philippine Air Force, in Pampanga, Philippines. After getting out of the service, he went to work at the U.S. Naval Base in Subic Bay. He began as a mail clerk but rose to become a base industrial relations officer. Rodolfo also worked part-time as a car sales agent and life insurance agent in the Philippines to provide a comfortable life for his wife and six children and to fulfill a promise he had made to himself: to ensure that all of his kids would finish college and obtain a Bachelor's degree.

In 1992, he was petitioned by his son, Jorge Rivera, to move to the United States to escape the devastation caused by the Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption two years prior. He joined Jorge in Gulfport, MS, who was serving at the Naval Construction Battalion Center at the time.

In Gulfport, Rodolfo worked at the U.S. Navy Exchange Service Command. He retired in 2018 after 23 years of service, an achievement he shared with pride. He often liked to show his retirement certificate to his grandchildren.

Rodolfo was a devoted husband. He met Milagros Quizon while working at the Cesar Basa Air Base. Rodolfo worshipped Milagros. Sure, he occasionally drove her nuts. But what would you expect in a marriage lasting roughly 70 years? He regarded her as the perfect mother, and he was always by her side, never wavering, despite the hardships they faced in life. He carried a photo of her in his wallet, a daily reminder of her, even after her death in November. Clearly, Rodolfo didn't want to be away from Milagros for too long.

Like Milagros, Rodolfo was a man of great faith. He was active at church and even became a lay minister. He loved to pray and would recite religious phrases, randomly at times. He passed that faith on, to his children and grandchildren.

Rodolfo is survived by his six children: Emmanuel Rivera, Jorge Rivera, Rolando Rivera, Manolo Rivera, Maria Fatima R. Tuliao, and Ferdinand Rivera.

He has 17 grandchildren: MaryAnne smith, Pauline Rosario Rivera, Amiel Rivera, Roland Rivera, Nles Reyes Rivera, Job Reyes Rivera, Christopher Rivera, Emil John Rivera, Loubelle Rivera, Madeleine Rivera, Monique Rivera, John Benedict Rivera, Juan Miguel Rivera, Angelica Rivera, Theresa Fae Tuliao, Theodore Moises Tuliao, and Timothy John Tuliao.

Rodolfo is preceded in death by his sibling, Remigio Rivera.

A private Mass of Christian Burial will be Celebrated on May 26, 2021 at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Interment will follow in Finley Cemetery, where he will be laid to rest next to his great love, Milagros. Riemann Family Funeral Homes is honored to be entrusted with arrangements.