Daniel Rivera Jr. was born on December 18th, 1942 in North Platte, Nebraska to parents Daniel Munoz Rivera and Rosie Casillas Rivera. Dan accepted Christ at an early age and devoted his youth to serving the church as an altar boy for St. Patrick's Catholic Church.Dan attended North Platte Highschool and graduated in the class of 1962.After highschool, Dan was employed with the Union Pacific Railroad as an Electrician for over 30 years until his retirement in November 2010. His additional careers included being a wedding photographer in Oregon, a disc jockey in Denver, and he enjoyed dancing, poetry, and writing philosophy every night. He was joined in marriage to Linda Barnes Cook in Denver, Colorado for 19 years. Daniel departed this life on June 2nd, 2026 and he was preceded in death by his parents. He leaves to cherish his memories to his wife Linda, and his children Philip Rivera, Vincent Rivera, Daniel (Boz) Rivera III, Jeremy Cook, and Kelsey Cook. "You have to grow old, but you never have to grow up!"