Iliana Ojeda-Rivera, MA, CADAC, LADC, LADC I
Graced us all on January 9, 1963 - Promoted to glory on February 5, 2022
Born in Brooklyn, NY., to Asuncion Prats and Franciso Ojeda. Nothing gave Iliana more pride than being a Wife, Mother, Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, Friend, and Mentor. Words aren’t enough to describe the positive affect and instillment of hope she had in the hearts of all those who came across her path. Iliana’s manner was not imposing, and she tended to understate her accomplishments and contributions. Iliana was the proud recipient of the 2016 City of Boston Latino Employee Award, and had an article dedicated to her in the Boston Globe just to name a few. It is said that people remember us not by what we said or wrote, but by how we made them feel.
Iliana’s favorite things to do was travel, spend time with her family and friends, eat great food, dance salsa, and hang out with the grandchildren. She is to be survived by her husband: Osvaldo Rivera, her children: Venissa, Tasia, Jonathan, Jaylene, Edgar, Lillian, and Osvaldo Jr. By her parents: Asuncion Prats and Franciso Ojeda. Siblings: Frank, Jeanne, Susan, half-siblings: Jose, Luis, Adriana, Emely, Manuel Amazing grandmother to: Bryana, Nyiah, Macke (Madison), Ty (William), Zoe, Izabella (Bella), Jakob, Jaylah, Ava, and Great-Grandmother to Elias, and Ezra.
Her sister Jeanne said, “As we are ALL mourning Iliana, please remember all the awesomeness that she brought to ALL of our lives. Her spirit was full of love and beautiful energy. She’s not physically with us, but she will always be with US! We don’t consider this a life lost but a gift. The most precious gift we could ever have received!”
Relatives and Friends are kindly invited to celebrate Iliana’s life on Friday, February 11th from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at Gormley Funeral Home, 2055 Centre Street, West Roxbury, MA. Burial will be on Saturday, February 12th. Please meet at Gormley Funeral Home at 12 PM for the Funeral Procession to the Gardens of Gethsemane Cemetery, 670 Baker Street, West Roxbury.
Please know your kindness is very much appreciated as we navigate this heartbreaking moment. In lieu of flowers, we kindly ask that donations be made in honor of Iliana’s decades of work within the addiction and recovery field. This fund will; be dedicated to supporting those from the Latinx Community taking classes with the Latinx Alcohol/Drug Education Program. Donations can be sent to:
Cashapp: Tacoma70
Zelle: Osvaldo Rivera 617-590-3637
Venmo: OsvaldoRivera-17