Rafael Rivera Obituary

Rafael Rivera-Firpo beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother passed away on August 10, 2024, in Flower Mound, Texas.
He was born in New York to Rafael Rivera-Delgado and Aida Luz Firpo-Quilan from Puerto Rico. He was raised in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, alongside his siblings Elaine Rivera and Eldward Rivera.
Rafael attended Universidad Catolica of Puerto Rico where he studied Chemistry. He was passionate about tropical fish and aquariums and held various jobs pursuing this hobby. He joined American Airlines in 1983 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, as a Fleet Service Clerk.
In 1987 he moved his family to Raleigh, North Carolina where he worked as a Ramp Services Crew Chief. Here many lifetime friendships were born. In 1995 he remarried and transferred to Dallas-Fort Worth, where he continued to work as a Crew Chief until his retirement in 2022.
He is survived by his wife, Carmen M. Alicea, his children, Natalia Godwin (Marvin), Rafael Rivera Lugo (Lisa), Corey Adolff (Taylor), his siblings Elaine Rivera (David) and Edward Rivera (Grisel), his grandchildren Simone, Shiah, Savion, Shamari, Penelope, Lorelai, Nathan and Ryder, his great grandchild Damian, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Rafi's happy place was the beach in Cabo San Lucas or any other tropical paradise you could imagine. Loved taking family vacations and sharing his timeshare with family and friends. His spare time was spent tinkering around the house and fixing what really wasn't broken. He enjoyed spending time at the park with his twinkies, Mia Lisa and Paola. And most of all loved watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and jamming to his favorite songs on YouTube with Ryder.
We will all greatly miss his happy-go-lucky demeanor, his silliness and his ability to make everyone laugh.
Funeral service will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, August 17, 2024, at Mulkey-Mason Funeral Home in Lewisville. The family will receive friends from 4:00 to 7"00 p.m. Friday, August 16, 2024, at the funeral home.