John Jack Frederic Riva Sr.

1940 - 2016

John (Jack) Frederic Riva Sr., of Folsom, CA, died on Saturday, October 15, 2016, after struggling with increased heart and renal issues for the last 3 months. He was 76. Jack was born on January 22, 1940, to John and Marie Riva, in San Francisco, CA. He was the first child of three for them. Younger brother Joseph passed at 8 months old, and his younger sister Elaine Francis was born soon after. Then Jack became the eldest to three more children, Dennis, Eugene, and Cathy, born to Marie and Bob Cole thereafter. Jack graduated from Mission High school in San Francisco and entered into the United States Coast Guard. Among many talents and loves, such as racing his cars, Jack played the clarinet in the Mission high school band. In 1959 Jack married his high school sweetheart, Dorothea Evander. Four children were born to them, with three still surviving, Theresa Riva Lambert, Susan Riva and John Frederic Riva Jr. Jack loved music, camping, fishing and bow hunting, even parachuting. He was creative with lapidary and jewelry. His enthusiasm for life and creativity was shared with family and friends. In the late 1960's he became partner and owner with his father of the first Shell Diagnostic fuel station in California, in Sacramento. After many life changes, in 1981, Jack fell in love with and married Kathy Vick. Kathy brought her children Kellie Breckenridge and Sean Vick, to the Riva family. Sara Riva was born to Jack and Kathy in 1991. Kathy's Irish spirit and deep love for life joined their children together in family gatherings that created a strong bond of love. He shared his love of music, from Jazz, to the Doors, to Willie Nelson, with everyone he could. Jack decided to become part of the team of pest controllers that his long time best friend, Chuck Thurman, had built within Chuck's own business. As best friends, and then work partners, they enjoyed many years of laughter, and hard work together. Chuck is still an integral part of the family gatherings. Jack deeply loved his grandchildren, James Lambert, Bryan Lambert, Sabrina Breckenridge, Audrey Riva Scott, Matthew Riva, Shannon Riva, Jordan Vick and Landon Vick. A celebration of life will be held on October 29, 2016, 2:00, at City Slickers Bar in Folsom, CA. Life is short, what happens between birth and death, in the final writing, is reduced to a dash. What happens in the dash, stays in the dash. Please join us to celebrate the wonders, the stories, the memories of the dash of Jack's life.