AI Written Obituary

Margaret Ellen Whitfield, 84, of Cedar Falls, Iowa, died on March 12, 2025, at her home surrounded by her family. She was born on June 3, 1940, in Waterloo, Iowa, to Harold and Dorothy (Benson) Schneider.

Margaret graduated from Waterloo West High School in 1958 and married Robert Whitfield on October 14, 1961. They were married for 58 years before Robert's death in 2019.

She worked as a librarian at the Cedar Falls Public Library for 26 years, retiring in 2002. Her coworkers knew her as the person who could find any book in the building without checking the catalog.

Margaret's garden was a neighborhood landmark. She grew tomatoes, zucchini, and dahlias, and she delivered produce to neighbors every summer in a red wagon that had belonged to her children. Her kitchen was the other constant. Thanksgiving dinner at Margaret's house meant her cornbread stuffing, her cranberry relish made from scratch, and enough pie to feed twice the number of people who showed up.

She is survived by three children: David (Susan) Whitfield of Des Moines, Karen (James) Beckett of Minneapolis, and Lisa Whitfield of Cedar Falls; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert, and her brother, William Schneider.

A celebration of life will be held Saturday, March 22, at 2:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Cedar Falls. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Cedar Falls Public Library Foundation.

Thomas James Rivera, 67, of San Antonio, Texas, died on January 8, 2025, at Methodist Hospital after a brief illness. He was born on September 22, 1957, in Corpus Christi, Texas, to Manuel and Rosalinda (Garza) Rivera.

Tom served in the United States Army from 1976 to 1980, stationed at Fort Hood. After his service, he earned an associate degree in mechanical engineering from San Antonio College and spent 34 years as a maintenance supervisor at Valero Energy, retiring in 2018.

He coached Little League baseball in the Alamo Heights league for 12 seasons. His teams were not always the best, but his players came back to visit him decades later, which says more about his coaching than any trophy would. He kept a bucket of baseballs in the garage and would throw batting practice to anyone who asked, including the neighbor kids.

Tom could fix nearly anything. Lawn mowers, kitchen faucets, the timing belt on his daughter's 1998 Honda Civic. He believed that most problems had a solution if you were patient enough to find it, and he applied that philosophy to engines and to people in equal measure.

He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Maria (Lopez) Rivera; his children, Daniel (Emily) Rivera and Sofia Rivera-Chen (Michael); his grandchildren, Lucas, Mia, and Isabella; and his brother, Carlos Rivera.

Visitation will be held Friday, January 17, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Porter Loring Mortuary. A funeral mass will be celebrated Saturday, January 18, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church. Interment will follow at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery with military honors.

Priya Anand Kapoor, 34, of Portland, Oregon, died on February 2, 2025, following injuries sustained in a car accident. She was born on April 15, 1990, in Beaverton, Oregon, to Anand and Sunita (Mehta) Kapoor.

Priya graduated from Sunset High School in 2008 and earned a bachelor's degree in environmental science from the University of Oregon in 2012. She worked as an environmental compliance analyst at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, where she spent six years helping companies understand and meet clean water standards.

She was a runner who preferred trails to roads. She completed the Gorge Waterfalls 100K in 2023, a race she trained for by running the Forest Park trails before sunrise three mornings a week. Her running partners knew that she would always wait at the top of a hill, no matter how far ahead she got.

Priya volunteered with Friends of Trees, planting over 200 trees in northeast Portland neighborhoods over five years. She kept a spreadsheet tracking every tree, its species, and its location, and she would drive past her plantings to check on them.

She is survived by her parents, Anand and Sunita Kapoor of Beaverton; her sister, Meera Kapoor of Seattle; and her partner, James Callahan of Portland.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, February 15, at 3:00 p.m. at the Hoyt Arboretum Visitor Center in Portland. Contributions in her memory may be made to Friends of Trees.