Happy Heavenly Birthday, Cousin Jun: Remembering Leonardo Rivera Jr. of Chicago
Happy Heavenly Birthday, Cousin Jun: Remembering Leonardo Rivera Jr. of Chicago
On what would have been his 58th birthday, a tribute to Jun Rivera, the Chicago cousin and ninong I call a brother from another mother, and a belated birthday greeting to his wife, Bernadette.
Happy Heavenly Birthday, Cousin Jun. Leonardo Rivera Jr. was born on October 25, 1968, in the Philippines, and today, October 25, 2026, he would have turned 58. To the people who loved him he was Jun, and to me he was one of the two I have always called my brothers from another mother. A Fil-Am family can stretch across a lot of miles, and ours stretched from Chicago to Vallejo.
And a belated Happy Birthday to Bernadette, Jun’s wife, whose birthday was October 17. This post is for both of you.
Becoming a ninong ties a man to the whole family. In the Filipino Catholic tradition, the baptismal sponsor also becomes kumpare to the child’s parents, a bond meant to outlast any distance, even Chicago to Vallejo. Do you have a memory of Jun to share?
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Pinsan — pin-SAHN
Cousin. Jun and Allan were my pinsan on paper, and in Chicago they were brothers in every way that counted.
Chicago, 1976–1979: Growing Up with the Riveras
My sister Joy and I grew up alongside Jun and his brother Allan during the three years our family lived in Chicago, from 1976 to 1979. Jun’s father, Tito Narding, was among the people who met us when we arrived on August 19, 1976. Jun’s mother, Tita Lita, is first cousin to my mom, Nati.
Those three years set the pattern. Jun and Allan were never just relatives across town. They were family I grew up with, and that did not change when we moved to Vallejo in June 1979.
The House on Karlov, 1986–1989 and After
Between October 1986 and 1989, the Riveras’ house on Karlov was where I stayed whenever I came to Chicago to visit my girlfriend at the time. In April 1989 I moved back to Chicago and lived under their roof until I got my own apartment that fall, either in late September or on October 1, 1989. I am still confirming which.
In December 1991, Joy and Vince came to Chicago with me. It was Joy’s first time back since our family left in June 1979.
October 9, 2004: The Riveras in Vallejo
The photo above was taken on October 9, 2004, at Blue Rock Springs Park in Vallejo, at the birthday party of Nica and Jian’s cousin. Jun, Allan, Jun’s wife Bernadette, and their baby daughter Kadence had come out from Chicago for a vacation. Jun is Nica’s ninong. Her baptism was on February 18, 2001, and my Rivera cousins attended.
Front row: me, Jian, Allan, Bernadette holding Kadence, and Jun. Back row: Nica with her two cousins.
Remembering Jun
Jun died on December 19, 2009, at age 41. He was the husband of Bernadette, the father of three daughters, the son of Tito Narding and Tita Lita, and the brother of Allan. His home was in Algonquin, Illinois.
Happy Heavenly Birthday, Jun. Bernadette, happy belated birthday. Allan, I am thinking of you today. Salamat, pinsan.
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Founder & Editor
J.F.R. Perseveranda
J.F. (Jonjo) left the Philippines at age nine, spending a lifetime bridging the gap between his Marikina roots and his Chicago/Vallejo upbringing. A proud Hogan Spartan from East Vallejo and resident of LA/SF, he founded PinoyBuilt not just as a digital archive, but as a cultural compass for his three children to navigate their heritage, language, and identity with Pinoy Pride.
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