Louis “Lou” Rivera, 64, of Centralia, Washington, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Dec. 27, 2022, after suffering a year-long battle with kidney disease.
He is survived by his wife, Traci Rivera; son Sam Blodgett of Blodgett, Oregon; and daughters Sara Martinez of Las Vegas, Nevada and Allison Rivera of Everett, Washington. Lou is also survived by his siblings Arthur Rivera of San Jose, California; Frank Rivera of Olympia, Washington; Carmen Johansson of Mukilteo, Washington; and Lorie Allard of Casper, Wyoming. Lou is preceded by his mother Jeanette VanHook and father Santos Rivera.
Lou was married to his loving wife, Traci, for 30 years. Not only were they lifelong partners but they were truly each other’s best friend. They loved spending time together, especially when they were cooking in the kitchen, searching for the perfect restaurant, taking long drives in the country, fishing, camping and watching British TV shows.
Lou was born in San Jose, California, and settled in Chehalis, Washington by the time he was a senior in high school. He graduated from W.F. West in 1976. Lou served in the National Guard from 1978 to 1984 and was proud of becoming a tank commander during this time. He had many interests and was talented at anything he set his mind to. He was an avid musician, talented jeweler and had a love for the outdoors. He enjoyed taking family camping trips which often included fishing, canoeing and rock hounding. Lou was known for his big smile, contagious laughter and corny jokes. One of his greatest joys were his nine grandchildren. He was a proud papa and could often be heard bragging about each one of them.
A celebration of life will be held in Lou’s honor at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023, at Borst Park, Kitchen No. 1 in Centralia. All are welcome.
In Lou’s memory, the family requests that any donations be made to Fresenius Kidney Care online at https://fmcna.com/Foundation/.
