Herbert Rivers

1942 - 2024

RIVERS, Herbert Alden

Herbert Alden Rivers of Atlanta, father and grandfather, died on January 3, 2024. He was 81.

Known as "Herbie," by friends, led a full life. A native Atlantan, he was born on October 12, 1942, at Piedmont Hospital. He graduated from Grady High School in 1960. He was voted best personality, and his wit and charm followed him throughout his life. He graduated from Mercer University in 1964 where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Mercer Law School in 1967. During that time, he was an alternate delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1964. He was passionately interested in politics and the news all his life and was a faithful, daily reader of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for over 65 years.

During the Vietnam War, he served in the United States Coast Guard Reserve. When he graduated from law school, he began his career including a brief stint as a corporate lawyer. In his early career, he survived an automobile accident. He courageously "beat the odds" of recovery to go on to retake the bar exam and further his career in law. He hit his stride as the solicitor general of Cobb County. He brought the first witness protection program to the state of Georgia and created the first consumer fraud force division in Cobb County. He pushed DAs to prosecute child abandonment cases and protected countless other "underdogs." According to friends, he was a legend in Cobb County. After his work as a solicitor, he would go on to become a defense attorney.

Herbie was always the first to tell a joke. His joyous sense of humor filled every room and conversation with laughter. He discovered a passion for fly fishing at a young age while working as a fishing guide in Yellowstone National Park. His son's fondest memories of their time together are of fishing western waters. He was an avid reader and storyteller, always eager for a new book. His friends said that he was fun loving, a great friend, and a serious student. Herbie dearly loved his children and grandchildren. He was proud of his children's accomplishments and those of their spouses.

Herbie was preceded by his mother, Anne Jeter Rivers; and his father, Marion Pinckney Rivers, Jr. He is survived by his daughter, Alden Rivers Potts, and her husband, Carter, and their children, Carter and Brooks; his son, Rafe Izard Rivers, and his wife, Ansley, and their children, Emmalou and Rowan; his brother, Marion Pinckney Rivers III; and his sister, deLancey Todd. Herb was cremated. His ashes will be scattered in Idaho not far from where he worked as a guide at Yellowstone National Park as a young man. He will be missed by all who knew him.

A service is planned at The Cathedral of St. Philip on Tuesday, January 9, at 2 PM.