In Loving Memory of Rebecca Rivera: Support for Her Family

Rebecca Margarita Rivera was a beloved daughter, granddaughter, sister, friend, and coworker to many.

But to me, Rebecca was my beloved dream. She was a funny, artistic, creative, and animal-loving dream that never failed to make me smile even on my worst days. She was kind to everyone she met and was a genuine girl who would never do wrong to anyone. She always spoke her mind and fought for what was right, from taking care of stray animals to going out of her way to help people in need.

For a long time, Rebecca was the only person I could trust and devote myself to without worrying about betrayal because she never judged me in any way and loved me unconditionally since the first day we met. She always listened to what I had to say and genuinely cared for my well-being in a way no other friend had. She made me feel heard and seen when I lived in a world where I felt invisible and unloved.

Rebecca taught me what it means to be a real friend to someone: to love them through thick and thin, to always be a shoulder for them to cry on, to always support them no matter what, and to never give up on them. She was the first friend I had known who loved me for who I was, with no strings attached. I know now that even if I have nothing—no food, no water, no shelter, no money, no family, no hope, no faith—I’d still have the most important things: her love and her memory. And that alone would be enough to keep me going.

Rebecca was also the older sister I never had. She offered me life advice and encouraged me to make smart decisions; took me out in her red Ford Escape, Lana, to see the world around me; and played a big role in helping me transition from a lost, cynical child to a well-rounded, intelligent young woman. I always looked up to her so much and I strived to be even half the person she was to me for her.

Without her, I would have never been able to see the world the way I do now. I would have been stranded in my room, oblivious to the beautiful wonders of the world. I would have spent my teenage years wasting away at home pointlessly studying and doing homework, living a life that would eventually lead to regret.

All the trips we would take to go shopping at the big malls and return with nothing because the stores were all so expensive, all the chill days we took to watch movies while gobbling down homemade chocolate popcorn, all the long car rides we took to explore downtown cities like clueless foreign tourists, all the walks we went on during the golden hours with your silly dog Charles, all the new restaurants we fattened up at, all the beautiful adventures we went on are all things that I would never trade for the world.

I am heartbroken that I have woken up from my dream—my best friend for life—forever.

I hope that you're finally free, happy, and at peace now, wherever you are. I hope that you’re living your best life now because that’s the minimum of what you deserve. Thank you for always caring for me and sticking up for me. I wouldn’t be a quarter of the person I am today if it weren’t for you, my beautiful angel. You made my life worth living and I love you always and forever.

All proceeds go to Rebecca's mother, Donna Jane Largent.