Connie A. Rivas

On July 24th 2023 at 6:41am, Connie Rivas, a loving wife, mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend peacefully entered the gates of heaven to be with the Lord, our God.

Connie Rivas was born in downtown Los Angeles on March 13th, 1936. She was the youngest of six children to Miguel and Isadora Aranda.She attended Roosevelt High School, beginning in 1952, graduating in 1955.

It was there Connie met and married her husband Frank on April 14th, 1958 and remained married until Connie’s parting breath. They devoted 65 years of their lives to one another.Connie and Frank additionally dedicated over 30 years of their lives as foster parents. Together, they blessed, cared for, and impacted the lives of a multitude of God’s children.Connie gave 25 years of faithful service as a Head Start Teacher’s Aid for the La Habra City School District. Her heart was passionately full of unconditional love for children, her own and others.

Connie’s memory and legacy are lived on through her husband, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She was a mother to five children and three angels: Frank, Robert, Patricia, Eleanor, and Jonathan, as well as Victoria, Roberta Francis and Mark Anthony along with sons and daughter in law, Tony and Peter (deceased) and Rosalie.

Connie was a grandmother to ten grandchildren, who affectionately called her “Nana”. Their names are Krystal and partner Kevin, Stefanie, and spouse Junior, Colin, Anthony, Emily, Julia, Alissa, Matthew, and Jonathan Jr. (JJ) and Evett.Connie was a great-grandmother and ‘Nana’ to four children: Hailey, Hunter, Domonic, and Kason.

Connie had a sweet and tender hearted spirit. She was always the happiest surrounded by her family. The love and care that poured from her heart for all of her family members seemed to have no beginning, nor an end; it was boundless and left an irremovable imprint on the soul of each individual she cared for. 

Connie loved her Mariachi music and would frequently be found resting at home watching her Telenovelas.She was a devout Catholic and loved attending Mass whenever possible. She lived a life demonstrating her faith so beautifully with the love that she expressed to everyone around her. She was famously known for her “happy tears” – sweet and gentle tears of joy expressed out of her deep and profound love for the one’s she held close. 

As Connie now soars above the earth in the presence of our Creator, her, beloved son and family members who have passed before her, the torch is passed onto those she left behind. Those who knew Connie as a wife, mother, sister, “Nana”, teacher, Mamacita and friend, will remember her with those same ‘happy tears’ in their own eyes, patiently awaiting our cheerful day of reunion, when the need for them is no more.

Rest in Peace Beloved Nana.

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:4 NKJV