Samuel Thomas Rivera

On Saturday, March 12, 2022, Samuel Thomas Rivera, a loving husband, father, stepfather and
grandfather passed away at age 43. He was better known by his loved ones as ‘Sam’ or as
‘Sampa’ to his grandson, Blake, and among his American Ninja Warrior friends.

Sam was born on October 14,1978 in Abilene, Texas to Nicholas Rivera, Jr. and Maria ‘Wesa’
(Andujar) Rivera. He primarily grew up on the Air Force base in Minot, North Dakota and later,
as a young adult, he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. He earned his bachelor’s degree
from ITT Technological Institute in 2004 and was currently working on his master’s degree at
Stevens Institute of Technology. He primarily worked in the field of engineering and computer
programming at different capacities for nearly 20 years.

On July 6, 2002, he married his first wife, Alana Rodriguez. Together, they raised two daughters,
Alyssa and Mariah. His first marriage ended in divorce. On June 12, 2021, Sam got remarried
to Elena Marie (Fabiano) Rivera. In September of 2021, Sam moved from Albuquerque, New
Mexico to San Antonio, Texas to reside with Elena and his stepson, Juan. On March 10, 2022,
Sam and Elena’s son, Joseph, was born.

Sam had a passion for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his God-given joy for life with
others. He loved to read scripture and discuss it with friends, family, and anyone willing to listen.
He constantly was on the lookout for opportunities to share the Gospel with others; for he knew
that eternal salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone. One of his favorite verses was
Romans 10:9, “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God
has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” One saying that he clung to from his favorite
preacher, Adrian Rogers, was “If I had a thousand lives, I would give them all to Jesus.”

In addition to his passion for God, he enjoyed doing American Ninja warrior training and
competitions, playing ping-pong and softball, and above all else, spending time with his family.
He was known for his joyous smile, his sense of humor, and his kind and compassionate spirit.
It gave him great pleasure to serve others and help them in any way that he could with no
expectation of receiving anything in return. He enjoyed listening to music, especially Christian
music and Salsa (a product of his Puerto Rican heritage). He was also well-known for his
‘Sammy Dance’ that caused others to giggle whenever they saw him perform it.

Sam is survived by his wife Elena, his ex-wife Alana, his three children, Alyssa, Mariah and
Joseph, his step-son Juan, his grandson Blake, his brother Jason, his sister Samantha, his
mother Wesa and his father Nicholas.

For his local San Antonio community, a small service will be held on Saturday, April 23rd at 2pm
at Parkhills Baptist Church Parkhills Baptist Church (17747 San Pedro Ave, San Antonio, TX
78232)

The primary Celebration of Life Service will take place in Albuquerque, NM on Friday, April 29th
at 10:30am at Grace Church (6901 San Antonio Dr NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109).

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider donating to the Rivera Emergency
Assistance Fund to assist with funeral costs and to offset the sudden loss of income the family
has endured. Note that the tax-deductible donation platform is hosted by the Christian School at
Castle Hills (Elena’s employer) and all proceeds will go directly to the Rivera family. There are
two means by which you may give:

1) Online at https://payit.nelnet.net/form/wyeB9iCf

2) By mail, send a check to:

The Christian School at Castle Hills
2216 NW. Military Hwy.
San Antonio, TX 78213
Attn: CHS Emergency Assistance Fund