Obituary of Emilio Riveron, M.D.

Emilio Riveron, M.D., Treasure Island, FL, was born in Havana, Cuba on February 1st, 1932 to Ricardo and Emilia Riveron. He was raised and educated in Cuba and attended and completed medical school and training to become a surgeon. He became the third of three brothers in his family to become a medical doctor. When the communist Castro regime took over, he and his family fled to America where he started a new life in Chicago, IL and became a very proud American citizen.

After fleeing Cuba, Emilio had to repeat his internship and residency training in America. With perseverance he tackled the challenge and completed all the required general surgical training, and earning the title Chief Resident. He went one step further and completed a fellowship to become a thoracic surgeon. All this he did because he loved his family and wanted to give them more than he had growing up poor in Cuba.

He successfully passed the boards for General Surgery and Thoracic Surgery. He was inducted as a Fellow in The American College of Surgeons and was a member of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons.

To repay the country that he loved so much and gave him a second chance, Emilio started working with the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in North Chicago, IL and then at Bay Pines VA Medical Center in Bay Pines. He loved taking care of the veterans who sacrificed their lives to keep America free. He was a compassionate, skilled surgeon who spent many nights and weekends by the bedside of seriously ill patients in ICU making sure they received the very best care.

Emilio had many interests aside from surgery. He learned to sail, learned how to fix outboard motors, invested in real estate, took guitar lessons, and loved do-it-yourself projects spending many hours at the rental properties laying flooring, doing plumbing and electricity, and repairing drywall. He was self taught on all of these hobbies and read everything he could about the subject and took classes. He became a frequent Home Depot customer and would spend hours browsing the store; the garage is testament to his love of any and all tools. In his younger years he was an avid racquetball and tennis player and also loved to run.

Although he had a passion for learning and taking care of his patients, his biggest passion was family. He was never too busy to be there when a family member needed help. He loved deeply and always put others before himself. His definition of family was not only immediate family but friends and neighbors as well. He would go to great lengths when he saw someone being wronged; not for his benefit but to make sure no one was harmed or taken advantage of. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather and he will be sorely missed.

He is survived by his loving wife of 44 years, Sandra Riveron; daughter, Olga Riveron of Long Beach, CA; daughter Ana Meckes (Mark) of Long Beach, CA; grandson Christopher Boswell (Karisa), Long Beach, CA; grandson Elliott Meckes, Long Beach, CA; granddaughter Lily Meckes, Long Beach, CA; granddaughter Megan McCarthy (Alex), Brea, CA; great granddaughter, Paige McCarthy, Brea, CA; and beloved cousins, nieces and nephews; and close family friends.

He is preceded in death by his father Ricardo Riveron, his mother Emilia Riveron, brother Dagoberto Riveron, and brother Mario Riveron.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Parkinson's Foundation (parkinson.org) or Empath Suncoast Hospice Foundation (suncoasthospice.org) will be appreciated.