Rutilio B. Rivera

Rutilio B. Rivera, age 96, passed from this life into eternity on July 13, 2026, surrounded by his loved ones. Known to family and friends simply as Rudy.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Alberto and Leonor; his six siblings; daughter Linda Rivera, and son Rudy Gilbert Rivera.

Rudy was born on December 17, 1929, in Jacksonville, California. Shortly after his birth, the family returned to Mexico, where he spent his early childhood. In 1944, at the age of 14, Rudy traveled to Los Angeles by himself to seek work at the restaurant where his brother Martin was employed. Over the next decade, he worked his way up through nearly every position in the kitchen.

In 1953 his talents and skills landed him his first major culinary project: catering for the cast and crew of The Ten Commandments (1956.) During this time he met and befriended director Cecil B. DeMille. Unlike film star Gloria Swanson, Rudy was not ready for his close-up as he refused DeMille’s attempts to lure him in front of the camera.

After the film’s release, Rudy traveled to Kansas City where he spent the 1950s and 60s working in several prestigious dining establishments, including the Muehlebach Hotel, the Kansas City Club, Commerce Tower’s Top of the Tower, and Bretton’s.

During his time at the Muehlebach, a member of the wait staff caught his eye. Rudy and Connie would spend the next seventy years of their life at each other’s side. Together they raised five children: Angel, Gilbert (Jamie), Becky (Tim), Eva (Keith), and Linda.

In the 1970s, Rudy and Connie opened his first family restaurant in the Waldo neighborhood of Kansas City, later relocating to Raytown, Missouri, and briefly in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1980. After selling his final restaurant in 1990, Rudy and Connie spent the next decade of their lives traveling. They ultimately settled down in Independence, MO to be close to their children, five grandchildren and eight great‑grandchildren.

A visitation will be held from 5:00pm-6:00pm on Thursday, July 16, 2026 at Heartland Cremation & Burial Society, 6113 Blue Ridge Blvd. Raytown, MO 64133. Funeral service will take place at 11:00am on Friday, July 17, 2026 at Heartland Cremation & Burial Society. Graveside will follow at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Kansas City, KS. The family invites you to a luncheon following the services at the Pentecostal Church of Blue Springs, 5555 NW Valley View Rd. Blue Springs, MO 64015.