Disclaimer: All facts gleaned from the filings stated hereafter are only as truthful as the petitioner. The tone of this article expresses a style of writing historically employed by America’s greatest writers and, as such, is for opinion purposes only. No intentional harm is due. Do not read if the topic of divorce (even your own) causes you emotional distress. Continue at your own risk.
The glow of the holiday season in St. Louis County, Missouri, usually comes with lights, laughter, and the scent of pine, but for Kathleen T. Kohler, the season of togetherness arrived with paperwork instead of carols. Filing her petition for dissolution of marriage on December 8, 2025, Kathleen acted with the precision of someone accustomed to structure and order, her request made through attorneys Mark W. Haefner and Elizabeth P. Tadrick of Haefner Law Office LLC. The petition marked the end of a union with Richard A. Rivera, a marriage contracted on August 4, 2020, in Sumter, South Carolina, now deemed irretrievably broken.
No children were born of the marriage, and the parties have been constructively separated since July 19, 2025. Kathleen, stationed in South Korea as a member of the U.S. Air Force, highlighted the disparity in employment status—she actively serves while Richard is voluntarily unemployed—emphasizing the inequities in access to resources that could complicate legal proceedings.
The petition asks the court to dissolve the marriage, set apart each party’s separate property, and divide marital property and debts in a fair and equitable manner. Beyond the mechanics of financial resolution, Kathleen seeks any other relief the court deems just, signaling her desire for closure, clarity, and the ability to move forward without entanglement. In the midst of holiday lights and festive cheer, the petition represents a different kind of illumination: a stark recognition that some unions, no matter how celebrated in their beginnings, cannot survive the realities of life, distance, and irreconcilable differences.
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