PinoyBuilt — Stories of Filipino America

Chicago, IL • October 2026. Remembering Pinsan Jun: Chicago, December 1987, After Medusa’s. jun rivera, leonardo rivera jr, allan rivera, jason palma, medusa’s chicago, medusa’s on sheffield, chicago 1987, albany park chicago, gordon tech, barr tower lakeview, filipino american chicago, chicago nightlife, clubbing, barkada, kabataan, in memoriam, 10/25. Chicago • December 1987 Remembering Pinsan Jun: Chicago, December 1987, After Medusa’s Jun Rivera would have turned 58 today. A street corner in Albany Park, his Mustang, and the three of us fresh out of Medusa’s on a night I still can’t pin to a date. Chicago, late December 1987 (or possibly January 1988): J.F., Jun and Allan Rivera on a corner in Albany Park after Medusa’s, with Jun’s Mustang in the bottom right corner. Photo by Liza. Jun Rivera would have turned 58 today. I already posted one photo of him earlier today, the Blue Rock Springs birthday party in Vallejo in 2004 . This is the o...

Vallejo, CA • October 2026. Happy Heavenly Birthday, Cousin Jun: Remembering Leonardo Rivera Jr. of Chicago. 10/25, 10/9, heavenly birthday, jun rivera, leonardo rivera jr, bernadette rivera, ninong, filipino american family, chicago filipino family, algonquin illinois, blue rock springs park vallejo, in memoriam, kapamilya, fil-am, belated birthday. Heavenly Birthday • October 2026 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. Vallejo, October 9, 2004: the Riveras, in from Chicago, at a family birthday party at Blue Rock Springs Park. Jun, Nica’s ninong, stands with his wife Bernadette, baby Kadence, and his brother Allan. Happy Heavenly Birthday, Cousin Jun. Leonardo Rivera Jr. was born on O...

Jun, my brother from another mother Vallejo, CA. Flashback to Jian's christening party when my Chicago cousins flew to California. Jun and Allan's mom, Tita Lita is my mom's Reyes-Altamirano cousin. We grew up together in Chicago before my family moved to California. Left to right: Jun Rivera, JF, Allan Rivera FIL-AM. FILIPINO/FILIPINA-AMERICAN.  Click on any photo above to enlarge, Use left/right arrows to navigate. Please drop us a comment below. 🙏🏽 Help us grow Pinoybuilt to be the number one  Filipino-American  online community in California, if not the USA. 🇺🇸  Please click  this to follow www.pinoybuilt.com . 🤙🏽 Thank you! 👊🏽 Maraming salamat po kabayan. 🇵🇭 ✌🏽 Pinoybuilt uses Disqus as the commenting system because it prevents spam, but also because it connects our various sub-sites like LA.pinoybuilt.com , HI.pinoybuilt.com , AU.pinoybuilt.com & PH.pinoybuilt.com . Comments help a website go viral (and make $$$) so we hope to h...

Missing you cuz! Flashback to May 2002 when you and Allan flew to Vallejo for Jian's christening.  

Flashback to 2002.  Queen of All Saints Basilica in Chicago, IL. Happy Anniversary Bernadette & Leo. Rest In Peace Jun! Missing you as always.  Missing you too Edgar Allan.  Fantasy football is just not the same without you. Is that Dino that I'm holding?  My nephew is now in Yale University in his senior year.  Time flies... Leonardo Jr. (Jun) and Edgar Allan are my second cousins on my mom's side.  I grew up with them when my family lived in Chicago until 1979. I moved back to Chicago in April 1989.  Jun, Allan and I watched and yelled in their basement when Michael Jordan hit The Shot  versus Craig Ehlo, and the Chicago Bulls beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.  Thanks to Wikipedia, I now know it was May 7, 1989. This day in #Bulls history in 1989: The Shot. Michael Jordan hit one of the most iconic buzzer beaters as the Bulls defeated the Cavaliers. pic.twitter.com/rSPl75WJ2e — Chicago...

Light The Night My name is Bernadette Rivera and 2016 marks the 7th year that my family and friends have participated in the Light the Night walk in memory of my late husband, Leo Rivera . Leo lost his battle with leukemia just before Christmas 2009, leaving behind our 3 daughters, who were 2, 4 and 6 years old at the time. Each year, we have gathered at this walk to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the amazing work they do and to celebrate what an amazing person Leo was. This year, I've decided to start this booster campaign and sell shirts to help raise funds to donate to the LLS . If you look at the design on the shirts, you will see all the things that were important to Leo: his daughters, his Filipino pride and sports. If you are joining us at the Light the Night walk this year, which will be at Soldier Field on October 22, 2016 , please buy a shirt so we can all wear them that night. If you cannot join us at the walk, please consider buying a shirt a...