Esther Gatica 

Rose M. Oliver, a Riverside resident since June 1958, passed away on November 22, 2024. She leaves a legacy rooted in her numerous social, charitable, cultural and civic activities and overall involvement in the inland region. Born in Memphis, TN to Martha and James Neal, she grew up in St. Louis, MO where she met and married her loving late husband, US Air Force Sergeant, Cecil Oliver.

Rose worked with the International Relations Council (IRC) for over twenty-five years serving in many major roles. She was the IRC president from 1995-96, and in 2003, received the Life Membership Award as a result of all her years of volunteer service. Several city dignitaries attended the recognition event. The mission of the International Relations Council is to advance and foster cultural understanding, boost economic development by trade and tourism, and to teach leadership to local citizens and government officials through the implementation of cultural exchange and youth education programs. 

This has resulted in the network of “Sister Cities” in 2400 communities in over 124 countries.The first sister city was in Sendai, Japan, in 1957, where the inspiration for the “Festival of Lights” , a staple of Riverside, was inspired by the Sendai Starlight Pageant. 

In 1998, Rose co-chaired a trip to South Africa to try to found a sister city in Pietermaritzburg and assisted the late mayor Ab Brown on a trip to Cuautla, Mexico, another, already established sister city. 

Fast forwarding to 2004, the Pietermaritzburg South African city delegation, in turn, visited Riverside, furthering relations and conversations that eventually led to establishing a sister city in Ghana and inevitably impacting the outcome of the City of Riverside now having nine sister cities in total with several other countries. 

Oliver served as a volunteer for the Riverside YMCA and created several successful fundraisers, one of them being “Men Who Cook”. She also served as committee member for : the Riverside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Visionaries, Mayor Loveridge’s Blue Ribbon Committee and the African American Concerned Citizens Committee and advisory group to UCR’s Chancellors. 

Oliver was also recognized by the Elite Social and Charity Club in 2002, during their  40th anniversary program for all the outstanding services she provided during her tenure as the organization’s president in 2001-02. She will be dearly missed by her loving sons, other family members, friends and the Riverside community at large.  

Al and Ola Faye Stephens seemed to sum up the sentiments of many in the Riverside community when they posted online late last week, “Words cannot express how sad we are in hearing of the passing of Rose Marie, One of the most loving, caring and helpful people that graced her presence in Riverside.”

Cheryl Brown, Publisher Emeritus, Black Voice News, shared her heartfelt sentiments on Mrs.Oliver. “In all my years of knowing her, she was involved in everything that could make a change. She wanted to make a mark so that our community would be better. She championed every cause that would in fact, make it better. The community has missed her as she was so ill before her passing but she accomplished so much through the Chamber of Commerce, championing  businesses,  education and nonprofits. She was Mrs. Riverside,” said Brown.

Her graveside service will be held Thursday, December 19, 2024, at 11:00 AM, at the Riverside National Cemetery, 22495 Van Buren Blvd., Riverside. For additional information visit 8.funeralwebhost.com/TRM/notices/RoseM-Oliver

Esther Gatica is a Honduran bilingual writer, playwright, actress, director, and translator. She’s a graduate of Teatro Prometeo from Miami Dade College. She’s also obtained a BFA from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She’s taught and performed with/at: Miami Hispanic International Theatre Festival, Syracuse Stage, the Gluck Foundation, and Fort Worth Fringe. Esther is a recent graduate from the University of California, Riverside with an MFA in writing for the performing arts. She is a line producer for Lime Arts Productions and part of the Playground LA writers pool. She is also a part of the Black Voice News team. Follow her work on IG@esteyg.