Iris Violeta Santos Rivera Obituary

Iris Violeta Santos Rivera was born in Naranjito, Puerto Rico, on May 6, 1940. She obtained her B.A. in General Studies from the University of Puerto Rico in 1970, where she graduated magna cum laude.

Some years later, she earned her master’s degree in Bilingual Education from San Diego State University in California in 1975. She continued her university studies with doctoral studies in Multicultural Education at the University of San Francisco in California in 1982.

She also pursued postgraduate studies in Social Psychology at the University of Puerto Rico.

Iris always remained highly active in the Puerto Rican Independence Party and was a tireless defender of the oppressed communities she worked with every day. Her goal was to encourage sovereignty, justice, and democracy for all.

In Oklahoma, she was very active in community organizations for more than 17 years and consistently supported the immigrant community, especially in the field of education.

She served as Director of the Indian Controlled School Boards for the Northwest and Southwestern parts of the United States. Iris also chaired the Education Committee of the NAACP.

She was also a professor of Labor Studies at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Iris is survived by her loving family: her husband, Jorge Calderon Ochoa; her brother, Wilfredo Santos Rivera, and his wife, Otilia Santos; her sisters, Magali and Mirtelina Santos Rivera; and her daughters, Alma Iris Rivera Chaney, Vida Suzette Rivera Santos, Jorgee Reyes and her husband Roberto, Shannon Calderon-Primeau, and Marc Calderon.

She is also survived by her father, Visitacion Santos Montecino; her grandson, Marcus Amaury Alvarez Rivera; her granddaughters, Sophie and Erika Reyes; her son-in-law, Hector Luis Alvarez; her daughter-in-law, Karen Ann Chaney; her cousin, Alba Vicens; and her extended family in Puerto Rico.