In Memoriam: Felix Gregory Rivera

Felix Gregory Rivera passed away peacefully at home in Albany on November 28, 2014
at the age of 75, surrounded by his immediate family.

Felix was born on May 10, 1939, in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico to Felix Rivera Sr. and Lucy Rivera. Felix moved with his parents to Spanish Harlem in New York City at age six. While a teenager, he developed an interest in racing pigeons and bonsai, and often spent his weekends taking the subway with friends to go scuba diving and spear fishing.

After graduating from high school, Felix joined the U.S. Navy, utilizing both his diving and photography skills.

Felix was the first in his family to attend college. He received his Masters and Doctorate degrees in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Felix taught for 33 years, from 1973 to 2006, in the School of Social Work at San Francisco State University and was named Professor Emeritus upon his retirement.

While at SFSU, he was one of the founding members of the Institute of Multicultural Research and Social Work Practice. During this time, he also authored and co-edited Community Organizing in a Diverse Society and Latino/Hispanic Liaisons and Visions for Human Behavior in the Social Environment. He sat on the editorial boards of numerous major journals in the field of Social Welfare. Felix was active in the Civil Rights Movement, including working with the United Farm Workers in Delano, California, organizing labor, and the War on Poverty.

Photography became his passion at age 12 after his father, a wedding photographer, taught him darkroom techniques and took him along to assist at weddings. Felix continued to hone his photography skills by studying the art throughout the course of his life. His work has been exhibited in San Francisco, Berkeley, San Diego, Pasadena, New York City and Marin County galleries, the Sausalito Art Festival, as well as other venues. His images have won several prestigious awards. 

He best described his photography in this quote from his website: “I am attracted to subjects with dramatic colors, patterns, textures and ephemera. The more ambiguous the scenes, the more I am drawn to them. The unexceptional, the mundane, detritus and juxtapositions of enigmatic scenes, are a major part of my creative efforts. Many of my images are void of people, yet their contributions — whether intentionally or unintentionally — have communicated their presence in some of my images.”

Felix became immersed in many aspects of Japanese arts and culture. At one time he had a bonsai collection of more than one hundred miniature trees. He also became passionately interested in suiseki, the Japanese art of miniature stones, and founded the California Suiseki Society 20 years ago. In 1997, his book, The Japanese Art of Miniature Stones, was published. Felix established relationships with suiseki enthusiasts around the world and gained an international reputation, judging and presenting at international conferences and suiseki exhibitions. The Society has an annual show in Oakland, and had a special exhibition at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. 

Felix was a real Renaissance man, often juggling two or three hobbies at once, including model railroads, rock climbing, backpacking, tropical fish, archery and cheering for the San Francisco Giants, in addition to the long list of aforementioned interests. In most of these endeavors, he became an expert, thanks to his curiosity and thirst for knowledge. He also greatly enjoyed traveling, and made numerous trips to Europe, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Japan, and Hawaii, most often accompanied by family.

Felix treasured his entire family, developing a unique and loving relationship with each family member, including his wife of 38 years, Vicky Rivera Lilienthal, his daughters, Olivia and Sophia Rivera, and son-in-law Thomas Torres-Gil. He extended that love, support, respect and admiration beyond his immediate family to other family members and to his friends. Felix was a much loved, engaging, humorous and fascinating university professor. Beyond his professional life, Felix’s friends and family remember him for his irreverence, his wit, his creativity and most of all, for his abundant sensitivity, love and devotion.

The family is grateful for the love and exceptional support provided by Felix’s caregivers. They also wish to thank the UCSF ALS Center, San Francisco VA, The ALS Association care managers, and Pathways Hospice for their guidance, expertise and compassionate care.