Rogelio Roger Rivera

Roger, the eldest of seven children, was born in Rincon, Puerto in 1930 to Jose Rivera Miranda and Antonia Cruz Moreno. He moved to New York City, where he grew up, when he was a year old. Roger was a loving, dutiful older brother and son. In high school, he became interested in electronics through a home study course. After graduation, at seventeen, he joined the National Guard, which he served in for nearly twenty years.
After college, he became a computer engineer at a time when what fits on a chip today, filled an entire room.
He married his Cuban wife Margarita Rodriguez Alfonso in 1953. They had three children - Nancy, Roger Jr. and Patricia - and were married for 62 years.
He was known as a man who could fix anything and help everybody.
He loved to garden as well as build and fly model airplanes.
He was very proud of his Spanish heritage, loved to cook Spanish food and learn about Spanish history.
After achieving his American dream, he took early retirement and moved his family from Long Island, New York to Allen, Texas. He was devoted and loyal to his family. The last few years he dedicated himself to caring for his wife, who has Alzheimer's, in their home.
He was a simple, smart, outgoing man whose life revolved around his family.
He taught his three children and seven grand children, by example, to be loving, caring, decent, hard working Latinos. It is a legacy they will carry with them always.
Roger is survived by his wife Margarita Rivera, son Roger Rivera, Jr. and his wife Amy, daughters Patricia Rivera Efimov and her husband Bryan, and Nancy Brincat and her husband Vincent, grandchildren Thomas and Raymond Rivera, Brian and Jennifer Levy, Mara, Annica and Isabella Efimov, sisters Eva Carraras and her husband Peter and Olga Blitz and her husband Allen, brothers Manny Ortiz and his wife and Harry Ortiz and his wife Nilsa.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 20, 2015 at Allen Family Funeral Options with Pastor Mark Welch officiating. Interment will be at Calvary Hill Cemetery in Dallas, Texas on Monday, December 21, at 1:00 p.m.