Jose F Gonzalez-Rivas

Obituary for Jose Gonzalez-Rivas Jose Fernando Gonzalez-Rivas, 86, of Plantation, Florida, passed away peacefully after a brief illness on March 8, surrounded by his immediate family. Jose or Joe or Pop, as we called him, was an educated man, an excellent provider, a top engineer, a world traveler, and a man who always had an unrequited love of the sea. Pop was born in Cuba but was soon relocated to Spain with his family. We all heard stories of his strict Jesuit education, the rambling Bronte-like house, and the wild Galician countryside. His father, also Jose, a successful self-made man in Cuba, took him back to the island, age 8. Again he flourished - at least academically. My favorite story is when the priests made him captain of the baseball team, despite being the worst player, because he had the highest grades. It was at this time that he formed the two great loves of his life. His teenage sweetheart and later wife and lifelong companion, Marta, and the Sea. Pop always wanted to be a sailor. But his father's practical business perspective was that Cuba had no Navy to speak of. So Pop became an engineer. And a damned good one. He received his BS from...[more]

View Full Online Obituary and Tributes

burn University, returned home and married Marta. They had two sons, Joe and George, and settled down to a prosperous life of comfort, if not outright wealth, and entitlement. When the Cuban revolution came everything changed. Though an early supporter of change Pop was quick to see which way the wind was blowing and smuggled his young family out. Like many others, he came to America with a family to feed, and just a few dollars in his pocket. But Pop got a job -- at first, incongruously, in Oregon -- and continued to work hard and grow in his profession. He got his Masters in Mechanical Engineering at USC and added certifications, professional licenses, and other degrees from multiple states and organizations. Pop was proud to have sent his sons to MIT and Harvard -- Education was extremely important to him. His Cuban experience taught him that "they can't take away what is in your head". His professional life took him to California, Mexico, and Texas before retiring to Florida. He also traveled extensively in retirement; whenever possible by sea. His favorite memory was a rough and dangerous trip around Cape Horn in a storm. His face was aglow as he told it. He is survived by Marta, of Plantation, his wife of many years, his brother Juan, of California, and sons Joe and George, their wives Lynne and Corinne, and six grandchildren: Michael, Sara, Becky, Matthew, Juliana, and Garrett. The family plans a future remembrance where we will spread his ashes at sea.