Eugene Roy Rivers

Funeral service for Eugene Roy Rivers, 89, of Biwabik, will be 10am Monday, February 29, 2016 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Virginia with Bishop Ronald Alger officiating. Visitation will be Sunday from 1:00-3:00pm at Ziemer-Moeglein-Shatava Funeral Home in Gilbert with a Masonic Service at 2:30pm and also one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial with military honors accorded by the Biwabik American Legion and the Aurora/Hoyt Lakes Color Guard will be in Lakeside Cemetery in Biwabik, MN. Eugene died Tuesday, February 23, 2016 at St. Mary’s Essentia Health in Duluth, MN. He was born July 2, 1926 to George A. and Mary L. (Croteau) Rivers in Biwabik, MN. He enlisted with the US Navy during WWII and served in the Asiatic-Pacific area. Following his discharge he returned to school and graduated from Biwabik High School in 1947. He also attended and graduated from the Miller Vocational School in Minneapolis. He was married to his first wife, Mildred Johnson on May 28, 1949 in Minneapolis. She died in 1990. On July 23, 1991 he married Marian (Bauer) Wolfram in Minneapolis. She died in 1994. Eugene held a variety of careers that spanned over 45 years including a farmhand, fireman on the railroad, a stationary engineer and tailor, but most of his career he worked in sales including real estate, investments and at the time of his retirement he owned and operated the Purple Cross Insurance Agency in Biwabik. He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints – Virginia Ward, where he served as Branch President for four years, he also served on the church High Council, was an Elder/High Priest of the Church, was Sunday School choirister and also Sunday school teacher. He was also a member and past Worthy Patron of the Biwabik Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, the Biwabik Masonic Lodge A.F & A.M., East Range Association of Disabled Persons, the Virginia Barbershop Quartet, member and past commander, historian and Chaplain of the Peterson-Lofquist-Bronczyk American Legion Post of Biwabik and a member of the Timothy Robinson VFW Post of Hoyt Lakes. Survivors include a son, Randy (Betty) Rivers of Providence, Utah; daughters, Geneva Rivers of West Valley, Utah, and Merrill (Dale) Johanson of Grantsville, Utah; six grandchildren: Melissa Johanson, Justin Johanson, Marnae Marshall, Derek Johanson, Remii R. Rivers and Reino K. Rivers; eight great grandchildren In addition to his wives and his parents, he is preceded in death by his brothers, Peter Mickelson and George T. Rivers and his fiancée, Virginia Iverson.