Dr. David Felipe Rivera, 84, of Kenosha, WI, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at his home with his loving family by his side.
Born on September 13, 1941, in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua; he was the son of the late Arturo and Maria Teresa (Obregón) Rivera. He graduated in 1961 from Escuela International de Agricultura y Ganaderia in Rivas, Nicaragua.
On April 2, 1967, he married the love of his life, Yelba Nibya Garcia in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua.
They came to the United States of America in 1978, while David was furthering his education. He earned his master’s degree in education from the University of WI – Stevens Point in 1979. He then went on to earn his doctorate in bilingual education from Southeastern University of Louisiana in 1984.
David was employed as a teacher at Washington Jr. High and a resource teacher at Kenosha School of Language with the Kenosha Unified School District until his retirement in 2005. Over the course of his career, he taught night classes at Parkside and Carthage. He was also instrumental in building the KUSD Bilingual Program.
Growing up in Nicaragua, he was a member of the 4H Club. After coming to the U.S., David became a loyal parishioner of St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church. In his spare time, he enjoyed cooking, floral design and décor, dancing, reading, shopping and playing the lottery. David was a big fan of all Wisconsin sports, always cheering for the Bucks, Brewers and Packers.
David is survived by his wife, Yelba Nibya Rivera of Kenosha, WI; four children, Nibya (Michael) Smith, David (Julie) Rivera, Itzna (Jeremy) Brown and Javier Rivera; grandchildren, Amelia Smith, Amanda Rivera, Ryan Rivera, Dominic (Katherine) Brown, Nicholas Brown, and Nicolette (Emilio) Prado; and three great grandchildren, Archie Brown, Otto Brown, and Mateo Prado.
He was preceded in death by ten siblings, Domingo Alvarez Obregón, Carmen Rivera de Brautigam, Julia Rivera de Ibarra, Maria Rivera Obregón, Zenón Rivera Obregón, Arturo Rivera Obregón, Victor Rivera Obregón, Alba Rivera de Vallejos, Edgar Rivera Obregón, and Sadie Rivera de Cooper.
A visitation will be held on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, 7117 14th Avenue, Kenosha, WI. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church on Tuesday at 12:00 p.m. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the National Kidney Foundation of WI, the American Cancer Society- Lymphoma Research, or the American Diabetes Association would be appreciated by the family.