Carlos Fernando Gonzales, recently of Austin Texas, loving husband to Catherine Hamer; father of Lisa, Greg, Anne, and Stephen Gonzales; grandfather to Eric and Jason Strauss, and Bridger Gile; great grandfather to Noah and Samuel Strauss, teacher and mentor to many, and friend to all who met him, died in his sleep, with loved ones by his side on Monday, December 9 after a lengthy illness. Carlos was 83 years old. Carlos was born in Alhambra, California, on December 31, 1935, to Antonio Jose and Carmen Torres Gonzalez. He was brother to Antonio (Tony) Gonzalez, Consuelo (Connie) Harven, Jose Ricardo (Richard) Gonzalez, Arnulfo (Father Arnold) Gonzalez, Eleanor Fairchild, Gilbert Gonzalez, and Linda Wilhelm. Carlos was a lifelong educator, holding multiple teaching and administrative credentials, degrees at the Master and Baccalaureate levels in Elementary Education, Social Science, and School Administration, as well as a Doctorate in Educational Administration. Carlos taught many levels in the El Monte (CA) Elementary and Adult School Districts, and often spoke of how he loved teaching his 5th graders! He served as a consultant on several California Department of Education initiatives and legislative issues around early childhood education, bilingual education, migrant childcare. and education programs. He served briefly as state director of bilingual educators and later as state director of migrant education, finally retiring in 2004 from California State University, Monterey Bay where he was Director of Migrant Student Support Services. Carlos loved to learn, contributing to research and publications throughout his career on topics ranging from bilingual education to adult education and job training to education for limited English adults. He received multiple awards and study grants, including Fulbright Awards for a summer linguistics program at Georgetown University and a year in Lima, Peru, at the Universidad Catolica and La Universidad de San Marcos. Carlos had expressive eyes and a big smile full of charm and charisma that had a way of putting people at ease, living his life with warmth and a sense of humor that he kept until the end. If you would like to honor Carlos' memory, please donate to Parkinson's or Alzheimer's research, your local animal shelter or preservation society, education programs that support migrant or non-traditional students, or your chosen civil/human rights organizations. Or simply hold Carlos in your thoughts while you toast life and health with a glass of merlot (his favorite) or your favorite beverage. Celebrations of Carlos' life will be held in the Central Coast area of California at Islands Restaurant, 300 Del Monte Center, Monterey, CA at noon, January 19 and later in Austin, TX. For details of celebrations and to submit your memories of Carlos, go to: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/neptune-society/obituary. aspx?n=Carlos-Gonzales&lc=1902&pid=194704346&mid= 8958293&locale=en_US
Carlos Fernando Gonzales, recently of Austin Texas, loving husband to Catherine Hamer; father of Lisa, Greg, Anne, and Stephen Gonzales; grandfather to Eric and Jason Strauss, and Bridger Gile; great grandfather to Noah and Samuel Strauss, teacher and mentor to many, and friend to all who met him, died in his sleep, with loved ones by his side on Monday, December 9 after a lengthy illness. Carlos was 83 years old. Carlos was born in Alhambra, California, on December 31, 1935, to Antonio Jose and Carmen Torres Gonzalez. He was brother to Antonio (Tony) Gonzalez, Consuelo (Connie) Harven, Jose Ricardo (Richard) Gonzalez, Arnulfo (Father Arnold) Gonzalez, Eleanor Fairchild, Gilbert Gonzalez, and Linda Wilhelm. Carlos was a lifelong educator, holding multiple teaching and administrative credentials, degrees at the Master and Baccalaureate levels in Elementary Education, Social Science, and School Administration, as well as a Doctorate in Educational Administration. Carlos taught many levels in the El Monte (CA) Elementary and Adult School Districts, and often spoke of how he loved teaching his 5th graders! He served as a consultant on several California Department of Education initiatives and legislative issues around early childhood education, bilingual education, migrant childcare. and education programs. He served briefly as state director of bilingual educators and later as state director of migrant education, finally retiring in 2004 from California State University, Monterey Bay where he was Director of Migrant Student Support Services. Carlos loved to learn, contributing to research and publications throughout his career on topics ranging from bilingual education to adult education and job training to education for limited English adults. He received multiple awards and study grants, including Fulbright Awards for a summer linguistics program at Georgetown University and a year in Lima, Peru, at the Universidad Catolica and La Universidad de San Marcos. Carlos had expressive eyes and a big smile full of charm and charisma that had a way of putting people at ease, living his life with warmth and a sense of humor that he kept until the end. If you would like to honor Carlos' memory, please donate to Parkinson's or Alzheimer's research, your local animal shelter or preservation society, education programs that support migrant or non-traditional students, or your chosen civil/human rights organizations. Or simply hold Carlos in your thoughts while you toast life and health with a glass of merlot (his favorite) or your favorite beverage. Celebrations of Carlos' life will be held in the Central Coast area of California at Islands Restaurant, 300 Del Monte Center, Monterey, CA at noon, January 19 and later in Austin, TX. For details of celebrations and to submit your memories of Carlos, go to: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/neptune-society/obituary. aspx?n=Carlos-Gonzales&lc=1902&pid=194704346&mid= 8958293&locale=en_US
Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased
