On March 29, 2026, heaven received a radiant new angel. Joseph Andrew Rivera passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family and friends. Born on February 16, 1939, in the small town of Capulin, Colorado, he was reunited with his infant son, David, who passed away on the same date 65 years earlier. He was born Jose Porfirio Andres Rivera, but was known as Joe by family, friends, and colleagues.

Joe grew up between the towns of Capulin and La Jara, Colorado, on a family farm where his parents raised sheep and grew alfalfa. He carried a deep connection to that land, settled by his ancestors more than 300 years ago. Despite living thousands of miles away as an adult, he remained close to his parents and returned to the farm often. A top graduate of his high school class, Joe went on to distinguish himself professionally as one of the few Hispanic men of his era to work in the highly skilled field of nuclear quality control engineering. He became a pioneer in the emerging discipline of Quality Assurance within the nuclear industry and an early implementer of NQA‑1 requirements for environmental work. He concluded his 20‑year career by bringing rigorous Quality Assurance standards to environmental management at the Hanford nuclear site in Washington State.

Joe took great pride in his Spanish Colonial ancestry. He studied his genealogy, traveled to his ancestral homeland in Spain. He was thrilled that he could trace his genealogy back over 20 generations of original Spanish settlers of the Southwest. In his younger years, he loved hunting elk in the Colorado mountains. He was also a gifted storyteller, and his children and grandchildren were blessed to hear his many adventures over the years. Joe enjoyed collecting Southwestern art and built a cherished collection of Santos.

Above all, Joe found his greatest joy in his children, grandchildren, and great‑grandchildren. He had five children from his first marriage and one from his second. He was blessed with 16 grandchildren and 3 great‑grandchildren. His daughter Jessra lived in the same town, allowing him to spend precious time with her and her five children.

Joe is survived by his children: Stephanie, Joseph (Whitney), Kathy (Larry), Derrick (Debi), Erick (Kari), and Jessra (Jacob), his five siblings and their families, his 15 grandchildren, and his 3 great‑grandchildren. He will be dearly missed by his children, siblings, grandchildren, and all who loved him.

He was preceded in death by his beloved parents, Joseph and Victoria Rivera; his newborn son, David; and his granddaughter, Lindsey Victoria, whose recent passing he grieved deeply.

A celebration of life is being planned in both his home state of Colorado and his final place of residence in Kennewick, Washington.

Celebration of life in Kennewick, WA

April 25th at 4pm

Location: Einan's at Hillcrest 9353 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, WA 9933