The soul of this family and its matriarch was Antonia Rivera Martinez (1935-2014); my dear mother.   Born in Ciales, Puerto Rico, of Pablo Rivera Hernandez and Tomasa Martinez  Rodriguez.  Her struggle as an out of wedlock child caught in the middle of feuding  families, is not an easy one and is yet to be told. Perhaps it was this upbringing of  insecurity and quest for finding someone to love her, that let her to numerous failed  relationships with her children's fathers.  But as with any catastrophe or natural  disaster, there is always a silver lining; in this case, Benigno Echevarria  Rodriguez, my father. Yes, I admit, its a romantic view but then I am a pisces and  can't help myself.  My father struggled with my mother's strong character and a large  family which consisted of her six children and their five.  My older brothers and  sisters all have fond memories of my father.  To ask mom, its another story.  I rather  stick to my siblings' version.   In any event, in 1969, mom packed us up and off to  New York City we migrated.  The shock of my mother's abandonment caused my father to  join us a year later, a move he always dreaded, where he dealt with working in a  factory and being weary of hold ups and juvenile delinquents which roamed the streets at  night.  As 1975 came around the strain on their marriage came to a boiling point and  my father moved back to Puerto Rico.  Soon after they were divorced.  And the struggle  continues.

This is just a small view of the background of this family.  Of course there have been  numerous good times and equally numerous tragic times, all which have been worked  through together, for that is the meaning of family, not that we love each other in  the good times... but that we love each other at ALL TIMES.  Welcome to my family's  webpage.  Get comfortable, kick back, get your cafe and enjoy yourself.  I will be  updating the webpage with pics and information as I have time to get it uploaded.   Please feel free to let me know if any information on this tree is incorrect or  incomplete.  Bienvenido Familia!!!!