Family, Friends Remember Avila Couple at Funeral Mass

She loved fashion and phone calls, and held beautiful, elegant parties. He loved a Washington, D.C., restaurant called Bodega, and being with his family.

Most of all, friends and relatives said during a funeral mass on Monday, Debra, 55, and Dr. Hector Rivera, 76, loved each other.

"They were very generous, and they threw us an engagement party at their home in 1992," said Harbour Island resident Ian Cordell of the couple, who he used to see walking on Madeira Beach during their down time. "I'll always remember them having a profound effect on us."

On Monday at St. Lawrence Catholic Church, family and friends like Cordell took time to honor the couple, who were at 814 Taray De Avila in the exclusive subdivision in north Tampa. Julian Ospina-Florez, 31, who was Debra Rivera's driver and assistant, was charged with two counts of first degree murder in the case and is being held by authorities without bail.

Cars lined Himes Avenue, and the line of attendeees snaked around the church. Inside, hundreds of people sat on wooden pews or stood against rectangular window panes that lined the church's walls. Two caskets draped in white cloths adorned with crosses sat at the front of the church.

During the hour and a half funeral mass, a priest told the crowd of a few hundred people the reason for the service.

"We come together to give a Christian farewell to Debra and Hector Rivera, who were together over 36 years," he said. "It's a farewell grounded in the hope of reuniting together."

But the mood wasn't always somber during the mass, as people remembered the doctor and his wife, who owned a company that sold high-end jewelry. Laughter erupted from the crowd a few times when friends told stories of vacationing with the couple, or how unique Hector's laugh was.

Albert Perez, a Town 'N Country resident who knew the Riveras, stood in the back of the church and thought of the couple's impact on his life.

"They were always kind to me and my family," he said. "They came to my wedding in 2000. They were always fun."

Toward the end of the service, the Riveras' goddaughters spoke. One read a recent email from Debra Rivera, who she had reached out to for advice.

"Everything happens for a reason. Love you and miss you. Can't wait to see you."