Maria Gonzalez, beloved mother, grandmother, Dodger Fan, and always Mama Mía to many, passed away on Tuesday, July 27, 2021 in Santa Barbara with her family by her side.
“Mama Mía” was born in Villa Corona in the state of Jalisco in Mexico on April 19, 1924 to Juan Leal and Rosa Ruiz Andrade. There she met, “won on a bet” the love of her life, and married the handsome visitor from the United States, Jose Gonzalez who would woo her first to Guadalajara, then on to El Norte, directly to Santa Barbara, where they raised their family.
For all of us who were blessed to have known her, Mama Mía was a devoted mom, always caring for her children and making all the grandkids feel special. To the in-laws she would spoil them with home-made flour tortillas and welcome them with her delicious beans and chile con carne.
Mama Mía liked to read biographies and loved game shows, especially “The Price is Right,” “Let’s Make a Deal” and “Family Feud,” and she would not miss an episode of “Caso Cerrado.”
However, and even though she was never into sports, along came Fernandomania in the early 1980s. Here was Fernando Valenzuela, her paisano from Mexico pitching for the Dodgers and the world knew it. There and then Mama Mia became a long-time Dodger fan.
At every opportunity she would watch the Dodgers on TV, and soon after the in-laws, daughters, family members and anyone going to see the Dodgers knew to invite Maria for a special treat. Mama Mia soon became a Dodger bobble-head collector and accumulated some 74 bobble heads ranging from Raul Mondesi to Clayton Kershaw.
Mama Mia also met Raul Mondesi, Steve Sax, Ramon Martinez, and Justin Turner (Barbas Rojas) to name a few.
In her later years and thanks to all family members, Mama Mía also became an adventurous traveler. Her daughters and sons in-law would make it a yearly outing and take her to Spring Training in Arizona, and over the years her travels took her to Las Vegas, Florida, Illinois, Arizona, New York, and Mexico.
She was lucky and thankful that she saw concerts of luminaries such as Juan Gabriel, Vicente Fernandez, Joan Sebastian, Ana Gabriel, and other well-known artists.
Her legacy can best be described by devotion to family and respect for humankind. She believed in decency, staying humble and followed the advice — “If you have nothing nice to say, it’s best not to say anything at all.”
Her sense of humor, however, captivated the young and the old, and would often finish a story laughing so hard until everyone was falling off their chairs.
Mama Mía was preceded in death by her husband Jose Gonzalez and is survived by her beloved family of seven children including Lydia Vazquez (Ruben), Irma Cruz (Roy), Sylvia G. Tate (Darryl, deceased), Rose Marie Gil (Raúl), Joe Gonzalez, Gloria Fernandez (Tom), and Patty Miller (James).
In addition, there are seven grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren who lit up Mama Mía’s presence when they walked in to listen to her stories.
Mamá Ud. fue la mejor de las Mamás para todos sus hijos. En las buenas y en las malas, Ud. siempre estuvo ahi para todos y cada uno. Nunca la vamos a olvidar.
The Gonzalez family would like to especially thank Dr. Tom Beamer, all the doctors and nurses at Cottage Hospital, and the ever wonderful care and advice from the staff of Visiting Nurses/ Hospice of Santa Barbara,
Funeral services will be as follows. Rosary, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 3 at Welch-Ryce Haider mortuary. Mas at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 4 at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, followed by interment at Calvary Cemetery.
Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to Visiting Nurses/Hospice of Santa Barbara.