[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 56 (Thursday, March 25, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S1811]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING ANTONIO GONZALEZ

 Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I would like to include in the 
Record the following obituary for Mr. Antonio Gonzalez, written by his 
children.
  The material follows:

       Beloved Antonio Gonzalez made his transition the night of 
     December 30, 2020. Born in Calera in the state of Zacatecas, 
     Mexico on March 30, 1964, he was the eldest of four children 
     born to Antonio Gonzalez and Antonia Del Villar. The Gonzalez 
     family spent their early years living with Antonio's maternal 
     grandparents in a small town in Calera. Antonio shared fond 
     memories of times spent on his grandparent's abundant ranch. 
     He described what seemed to him an endless landscape of 
     rolling hills, trees, livestock and horses (his favorite).
       Hard times fell on the young family around the time Antonio 
     turned eight. A sudden regime change resulted in his dad 
     losing his job, forcing them to set their sights ``north'' in 
     search for work and a better life. Their trek north ended in 
     what was (at the time) a small dusty town just south of the 
     California border. It was there, in Tecate, BC where he and 
     his three siblings, Antonio (Tony Chico), Margarita and Maria 
     de la Luz were raised and attended school. But, with a lack 
     of good paying jobs, times remained tough in Tecate. Antonio 
     recalled working odd-end jobs throughout his childhood and 
     adolescence; a shoe shiner, sweeper--anything to help ensure 
     that there was food on the table.
       As a young adult, Antonio set his sights on completing the 
     journey north--to the U.S. In 1971, shortly after marrying 
     Florentina ``Nina'' Herrera, he made his way to Los Angeles. 
     They settled in the San Fernando Valley--a sleepy suburb of 
     LA at the height of rock and roll, disco, and bell bottoms.
       Antonio worked just about anywhere where hard work was 
     needed--maintenance work at a convalescent hospital, 
     landscaping, you name it. But his fate would change when he 
     landed a job at a large construction company. I'm not sure 
     what it was about ``construction'' that he loved. Perhaps it 
     was the job stability or the early start to the day where he 
     could greet the sunrise on his drive into downtown. Or maybe 
     it was the art of building--the satisfaction of erecting a 
     structure where only a plot of land existed--a tangible 
     outcome only accomplished by hard work and sweat. Over the 
     years, he had become somewhat of an infrastructure historian, 
     recalling with such clarity the buildings he helped build and 
     rehabilitate in the San Fernando Valley, Downtown LA, Santa 
     Monica, and Malibu.
       He dedicated most of his life to erecting buildings and 
     homes, whether for work or building homes for his family both 
     in the San Fernando Valley and in Tecate, BC. Antonio built 
     his family home, simple and unpretentious yet on a solid 
     foundation with strong bones. In fact, as time would prove, 
     there's nowhere else his family would prefer to be in an 
     earthquake but under the protection of those strong beams 
     hammered together with pride and affection. Even in his 
     retirement years, Antonio never stopped building.
       Antonio was a great provider for his family. Through his 
     hard work and dedication, he showed his children that the 
     true American dream could be achieved--of buying a home, 
     raising a family and ensuring a better future for the next 
     generation.
       He is survived by his wife, ``Nina'', son David, daughter 
     Maria Ines and son-in-law Jose, daughter Sandra and son-in 
     law James, son Cristian and grandchildren Javier, Sienna and 
     Julian. Siblings Antonio, Margarita and Maria de la Luz and 
     many loving cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in 
     death by his father Antonio Gonzalez and mother, Antonia 
     Gonzalez Del Villar.

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