One of 13 children, Ophelia Balbina Rivera was born on a farm in Red Wing, Colorado to Josefita and Felix Rivera on December 9, 1932, and passed away one day short of her 92nd birthday 2024. As a very responsible child, she was chosen at the age of 5 to move in with her Aunt Francis in Walsenburg, Colorado who suffered from a leg injury and epilepsy. While there, she attended a grade school and greatly improved her English skills that she later used to help her siblings to also learn when she returned home 3 years later.
In order to find better work opportunities, the family moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado. There Ophelia attended St. Mary’s Catholic High School while working part-time in the kitchen of St. Francis Hospital. A bright student, she graduated in 1950 and was the first in her family to do so.
At 18 Ophelia married Airforce Lieutenant Charles Taucer. The couple moved to where he was stationed in Louisiana and had their first child, a girl named Terry in 1954. Their next assignment was Livorno, Italy where they lived for 4 years and had their second daughter Janis in 1955.
Charles divorced Ophelia after she left him to return to the U.S with the girls and lived with her parents for a time. She then met Army Master Sergeant Basil Payne, who later became her second husband and gave birth to their son, Howard in 1963. This relationship also ended in divorce.
So, left to care for three children on her own, Ophelia spent most of her life working tirelessly to love and support them. Most of her work life was for electronic corporations. Clifton Precision (8 yrs) and Ampex (for 22 years). A highly skilled worker, soldering integrated circuits, she was proud that her work contributed to the success of the Apollo Space Program.
Ophelia considered her brothers and sisters to be her closest friends and made a point to visit them whenever she had any free time. Her grandchildren, Derek and Tessa, were her greatest joys. Apart from her family ties, she was a very loving and generous person. She also had great faith in the Lord and a special devotion for the rosary, which she prayed daily.
A Rosary will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, January 10, 2025 with a Celebration of Life service to follow at 2:00 p.m. all at Shrine of Remembrance “America the Beautiful” Chapel, 1730 E. Fountain Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO 80910. Entombment will be private at the Shrine of Remembrance Mausoleum, Garden of Angels.
The family would like to welcome you following the service to meet at Fargo’s Pizza Palace. A tab has been arranged for pizza under the Rivera reservation. Cake will also be served.