by his niece, Delony Olivera
Delivered at:
Lake-I Baptist Church
Monday, August 29, 2022
Rudolph Standley Olivera, also known as Peru, was born on February 9th, 1954 in Belize City. He was the sixth child of Standley Olivera and Isolene Flowers. In his early years, he went to Salvation Army Primary School in Belize City. Later, he and his family moved to Pomona Valley where he attended St. Mathews Anglican School. It was during these years he started to play football. He attended Stann Creek high school in his teenage years when he played with the Messengers and Queen’s Park Rangers. These teams were sponsored by the Citrus Company British Honduras (CCBH). He continued playing football in Pomona Valley along with his brother Wayne “Hogman” Olivera. Up to this day, he kept his friendship with his friends from Pomona.
He was so great at playing football that they started to call him Peru from a legendary soccer player from South America. Many people won’t know it, but Peru was such an entertainer that when he and his brother would reach home late, to avoid getting a whipping from Ms. Iso they would be telling jokes. One time he came home and showed everyone how to do the moonwalk, which amused everyone in that house.
In the late ’60s and early ’70s, he and his brother eventually joined the professional football team in Pomona called Citrus 11 which was coached by Mr. Jerry Sharp and Mr. Bambi Paget. In 1973 the entire family returned to Belize City where he played on teams like Diamond A, Green Stripe, J&E, and White Label. He became a football legend.
Peru migrated to Chicago in 1978. He never gave up on playing football; after all he was one of Belize’s football legends, and playing football was his passion. In Chicago Peru used to play football on the weekends with his fellow Belizean friends. It seemed he could always sniff out a football field from blocks away.
From the windy city of Chicago to sunny California my uncle Peru migrated. He later married his Belizean sweetheart Barbara Hogan who had his first son Rudolph Standley Olivera, Jr. He later had his second son Mark Anthony Moguel. Not only that, but he stayed in California for over 40 years.
Sadly, the football legend got sick and eventually came back home to Belize 4 years ago. His health slowly faded and eventually, he passed away.
I just want to take this time to do an honorable mention to Kareem Gordon for always being there when my aunt Elaine needed help with my uncle. She just had to call on you, and you would be there with the first word to give her a helping hand. Thank you a million.