Ernest Emmanuel Rivers departed this life on December  5, 2020, at the age of 94.

Born on March 8, 1926 in the Gull Point area of Pensacola, Florida, he was one of eight children born to Ernest A. Rivers and Mattie Baker Rivers. When he was about 10 years old, he helped his father build a family home on Scenic Highway, which was then only a dirt road.

He attended Pensacola High School, graduating on a Friday in 1944; the very next Monday he reported for duty with the U.S. Navy in Miami, Florida. While stationed at Coral Gables, he had his first and only blind date, on which he met the woman who would become his wife: Clarita Ross (nicknamed "Keets").  They dated for two years while he finished his officer training, and then spent the first four years of their marriage stationed in Panama.

Over the years, Ernie and his family enjoyed many duty stations, living at Whiting Field in Milton; in Oxford, Mississippi; in Monterey, California; twice in Whidbey Island, Washington; twice in Pensacola, Florida; and for two years on the island of Guam. Early in his service, Ernie completed his bachelor's degree from the University of Mississippi in only 20 months through an accelerated program for the Navy.  He flew numerous combat missions during the Korean War, and later piloted the "hurricane hunter" planes that went into Pacific typhoons to take weather measurements.  Ernie and Keets had three children over eight years: Pamela, Rebecca, and Ernest Lyle.

Ernie's final duty station brought him back home, and while stationed at NAS Pensacola he helped train the original NASA astronauts in water survival (in preparation for their splashdowns). He retired from the Navy as a lieutenant commander in 1970, having flown 38 different types of planes during his decades as a pilot.

He subsequently spent several years as an auxiliary officer in the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission, teaching hunter safety courses to thousands of students. He was also actively involved in the Bream Fishermen Association. In 2001, the Florida Wildlife Foundation honored him as the Francis S. Taylor Outdoorsman of the Year for his commitment to preserving and protecting the natural environment of northwest Florida.

From 1999 to 2005, Ernie served as the first "coastkeeper" of the Pensacola Gulf Coastkeeper (now Emerald Coastkeeper) organization, part of the nationwide Waterkeeper Alliance, further demonstrating his commitment to ensuring swimmable and fishable local waterways.

Ernie was a man who made friends easily and always had interesting stories to tell. So much of his life was spent helping other people, improving the community, and protecting our local waterways. He will be greatly missed but warmly remembered.

Ernest was preceded in death by Clarita, his beloved wife of 73 years, and his siblings Myrtle Nobles, Mildred Borowski, Ophelia Sparks, and Francis Lenwood Rivers. He is survived by his siblings Olon Rivers, Grace Severin, and Madeline Black, his three children Pamela Rivers (Parks) Thompson [husband Clark], Rebecca Rivers Burnett [husband Doug], and Ernest Lyle Rivers [wife Robin], his grandchildren Michael Jason Parks [Jammie], and Jonathan Thompson, and his great-grandchildren Michael Rojas Parks, Katherine Parks, and Emily Parks.

A special thank you to the caring people at Ascension Sacred Heart pulmonary care, and to Ernie's wonderful neighbors--Dr. Matt Herren, his wife Pam, and their sons Miles and Jeremy--for their love and concern over these last years, and to niece Debbie Borowski  Fox and her family for their constant love and attention to him.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at this address: St Jude Memorial Giving, 501 St Jude Place, Memphis TN 38105.

When the time comes that we can all assemble safely and see each other's smiles, we will have a celebration of life for our beloved Ernie.