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The Rivas siblings, Richard, Jayne, Robert, Vincent, Marguerite and Eugene, at their childhood home in Huguenot. (Courtesy of Jayme Rivas)Jayme Rivas<\/p>\nSTATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 From the wooded trails of Huguenot to the pediatric wards of St. Vincent\u2019s, Dr. Jayne D. Rivas spent her life caring for others and strengthening the Staten Island community she cherished.<\/p>\n
A pediatrician whose career spanned decades, Jayne\u2019s compassion extended far beyond hospital walls. Whether in the hospital corridor, a community meeting, or a wooded hiking path, Jayne carried with her a deep sense of purpose and service. She died on Dec. 18, 2025, at the age of 78.<\/p>\n
Childhood in Huguenot <\/p>\n
Born to Albert and Marguerite Rivas, Jayne grew up in Huguenot when the neighborhood still felt rural and untamed. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a wonderful childhood,\u201d said her sister, Marguerite Rivas. \u201cAll the South Shore was undeveloped. There were woods all over the place. There were ponds. You could just grab your ice skates and walk back into the woods and skate on any given pond.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jayne and her friends spent long days exploring the outdoors, stopping by a local teen hangout known as \u201cThe Shack,\u201d and returning home only when dinner called. Those early years instilled in her both independence and resilience. <\/p>\n
But alongside that freedom was a quiet discipline and a drive to excel that set her apart. <\/p>\n
Even as a child, Jayne stood out for her intellect. She shared a bedroom with her younger sister, who remembers waking in the middle of the night to find her studying.<\/p>\n
\u201cI once asked her, \u2018Do you have a test?\u2019\u201d Marguerite recalled. \u201cShe said, \u2018No, I\u2019m just studying what I learned today.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
That combination of curiosity, independence and diligence became a hallmark of her life.<\/p>\n
An early calling to medicine <\/p>\n
Jayne\u2019s interest in medicine began early. As a teenager, she volunteered as a candy striper at Richmond Memorial Hospital on Staten Island.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can still picture the day she came home in that red-and-white striped uniform,\u201d Marguerite said. \u201cShe was so proud of herself.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Rivas siblings, Richard, Jayne, Robert, Vincent, Marguerite and Eugene, at their childhood home in Huguenot. (Courtesy of Jayme Rivas)Jayme Rivas<\/p>\n
Her commitment deepened in high school when she became a \u201cVincent Teen\u201d at St. Vincent\u2019s Hospital in Manhattan, commuting from Huguenot by train to work overnight shifts \u2014 an unusual responsibility for someone so young.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe would go to the city by herself \u2014 train, bus, subway \u2014 and work overnight,\u201d her sister said. <\/p>\n
After graduating from St. Louis Academy and St. Peter\u2019s Girls High School, Jayne was offered a full scholarship to St. Vincent\u2019s School of Nursing, a remarkable achievement that promised a path into healthcare. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe had accepted the nursing scholarship, and my father was thrilled \u2014 six kids, one less tuition,\u201d recalled Marguerite. \u201cBut my mother said, \u2018No, I think you need to go to college.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
That pivotal moment altered the course of her life. Following her mother\u2019s advice, Jayne chose a broader academic path and enrolled at SUNY Plattsburgh.<\/p>\n
The academic journey that started it all<\/p>\n
At Plattsburgh, Jayne\u2019s reputation quickly preceded her. Classmates nicknamed her \u201cJayne the Brain,\u201d a testament to both her intellect and her work ethic.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was the smartest person I ever met,\u201d said Marguerite. \u201cBut she was so humble about it. She would never be stuck up over it. She was just so good, and she was so sweet to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Majoring in chemistry, she initially imagined a future in nursing, but a chemistry professor, Stuart Baum, saw in her the potential for something more.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer chemistry professor asked her, \u2018Why don\u2019t you be a doctor?\u2019\u201d shared Jayne\u2019s daughter, Jayme. \u201cShe said, \u2018I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m smart enough to be a doctor.\u2019 And he said, \u2018Of course you are,\u2019 and really mentored and encouraged her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Baum became an important influence. While still an undergraduate, Jayne wrote an entire chapter of his organic chemistry textbook \u2014 an extraordinary accomplishment for a college student \u2014 and was later acknowledged in subsequent editions.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s the one who put it in her head to be a doctor,\u201d Marguerite said.<\/p>\n
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Jayne graduated from SUNY Downstate College of Medicine in 1973. (Courtey of Jayme Rivas)Jayme Rivas<\/p>\n
Plattsburgh also shaped her life in another profound way. It was there that Jayne met her husband, Ray Robertson, a U.S. Marine who returned home after his service in Vietnam. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf she had stayed in New York City and gone to nursing school, she would never have met her husband,\u201d said Marguerite. \u201cThat changed the trajectory of her life.\u201d<\/p>\n
The couple married in June 1973, shortly after she graduated from medical school, and settled in West Brighton, where they raised their family.<\/p>\n
A life in Pediatrics <\/p>\n
Jayne went on to earn her medical degree from SUNY Downstate College of Medicine and spent her entire career at hospitals founded by the Sisters of Charity of the Archdiocese of New York, including St. Vincent\u2019s Hospital in Manhattan and St. Vincent\u2019s Hospital on Staten Island.<\/p>\n
She began as a staff pediatrician and steadily rose through the ranks, earning the respect of colleagues and patients alike. She eventually served as medical director at The New York Foundling Hospital and later as chairperson of pediatrics and director of the residency training program at St. Vincent\u2019s in Manhattan. She also served on hospital ethics boards and was a faculty member at New York Medical College.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe worked overnights in that hospital as a teenager,\u201d Marguerite said. \u201cAnd in that same hospital, she would one day become the chairperson of pediatrics. That just shows our working-class roots.\u201d<\/p>\n
Board-certified in pediatrics and allergies, she ran an allergy clinic and treated countless children, including young asthmatic dancers in Manhattan. She also conducted community outreach and educational seminars on Staten Island.<\/p>\n
Jayne served on the Staten Island Council on Child Abuse and Neglect, advocating for prevention and awareness. She later served as an expert witness in high-profile child abuse cases in New York City, lending her voice to those who could not speak for themselves. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe took care of so many people in her life, even when she wasn\u2019t on the job,\u201d Marguerite said.<\/p>\n
Over the years, she published several medical journal articles and was honored as a SUNY distinguished alumna. Yet accolades never changed her. To her family, she remained generous and grounded. <\/p>\n
![\"Dr.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/5JNQP52DNZDYPLTDY3ZEYAUKF4.JPG\")
Dr. Jayne Rivas with her husband, Ray, and their children, Mark, Jayme, Andrew and Luke at their home in West Brighton. (Courtesy of Jayme Rivas)Jayme RivasService beyond the hospital<\/p>\n
While her professional accomplishments were significant, her family says her greatest impact was felt in more personal ways. <\/p>\n
Her dedication to children and families did not end when she left the hospital. In fact, some of her most meaningful contributions unfolded in community spaces, church choirs and wooded trails across Staten Island.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe just always liked helping the community,\u201d said Jayme. <\/p>\n
For a decade, Jayne gave up a week of her vacation to volunteer as the medical director at Birch Family Camp, a residential camp serving families living with HIV\/AIDS.<\/p>\n
Music, too, was another passion threaded through every stage of her life.<\/p>\n
As a young woman, she sang in St. Peter\u2019s Glee Club and contributed writing to SUNY Plattsburgh\u2019s literary magazine.<\/p>\n
Years later, as her medical career took shape, she found new ways to blend artistry with service. Jayne performed with the St. Vincent\u2019s Players, a group of doctors and nurses who staged musical theater productions to raise funds for hospital causes. <\/p>\n
Her faith community remained another constant. At Sacred Heart Church, she sang in the choir for many years, forming deep friendships through liturgical music. <\/p>\n
Beyond the church doors, she found a similar peace outdoors. Her love of nature \u2014 rooted in her Huguenot childhood \u2014 never faded. On weekends, she could often be found hiking Staten Island\u2019s Greenbelt or volunteering with the Protectors of Pine Oak Woods, participating in cleanups and conservation efforts. <\/p>\n
One tradition in particular stands out to her daughter. <\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year for a bunch of years we would go on this 10-mile hike through the Greenbelt,\u201d shared Jayme. \u201cIt was usually in the winter, sometimes freezing, sometimes snowing or raining. It was this big adventure, and at the end it always felt like such a huge accomplishment that we had hiked 10 miles together.\u201d<\/p>\n
The annual trek became an all-day affair and a cherished memory. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat was something that I always looked forward to,\u201d added Jayme. <\/p>\n
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Jayme enjoyed spending time in nature with her family. (Courtesy of Jayme Rivas)Jayme RivasA lasting legacy <\/p>\n
At her funeral, the family heard stories that affirmed what they had long known. <\/p>\n
\u201cPeople told us she saved their lives,\u201d Marguerite said. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing this young girl from Huguenot, from a working family of six kids, who went to public university \u2014 SUNY Plattsburgh, Downstate Medical College \u2014 [had] accomplished all that.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2015, Jayne retired to Benson, Vermont, where she had spent summers with her family for years. What began as a tiny two-bedroom cabin eventually grew into the home where she and her husband retired. <\/p>\n
Though she left Staten Island in retirement, her ties to the borough remained strong, and she carried with her the values instilled during her Huguenot childhood: faith, service, resilience and a deep appreciation for the natural world.<\/p>\n
Jayne was predeceased by her husband, Ray Robertson, and her son, Andrew Robertson. She is survived by her daughter, Jayme Rivas Robertson, and her sons, Luke and Mark Robertson. Her brothers, Robert Rivas, Richard Rivas, Eugene Rivas, and Vincent Rivas; her sister, Marguerite Rivas; seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 From the wooded trails of Huguenot to the pediatric wards of St. Vincent\u2019s, Dr.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":136038,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":["post-136037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136037\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}