Maria G. Gonzalez

Maria passed away peacefully in her sleep Friday morning. Family and Friends were with her during her last days in order to honor her wish to stay in her home.

She married Guadalupe Gonzalez on May 14th, 1941. They celebrated 51 years of marriage before Guadalupe passed away. They raised three children together Guadalupe Jr., Yolanda, and Candy.

She was known as “Wela” to everyone. No visitor ever left her home without a meal or a desert. She was baptized on May 31, 1959 as a Jehovah Witness and dedicated her time to studying the Bible. She was very zealous in teaching anyone and everyone what she knew.

Despite a 12 year battle with cancer and a heart condition, she remained independent and active. She regularly attended congregational meetings which brought her much joy. She enjoyed traveling to Playa de Carmen, Mexico with her daughters and spending time with family and friends. She was considered a pillar among her spiritual family. She served as a pioneer for many years, and served in congregations in Texas, Ohio and Oregon.

Maria was preceded in death by her husband Guadalupe. She is survived by her son Guadalupe Jr. (Rosy) of Salem; daughters, Yolanda (Fernando) of Salem and Candy (Frank) of Molalla; sisters, Isabel Guerra of Corpus Chisti, Texas, and Ninfa Salinas of Edinberg, Texas. She was also blessed with 17 grandchildren, 34 great-grand children and 8 great-great-grandchildren.

There will be a visitation on December 29th from 2-5 pm and December 30th from 9 – 11:30 am at Howell-Edwards-Doerksen Funeral Home. A funeral service will be held on December 30, 2010 at 1:00 pm at Howell-Edwards-Doerksen and Rigdon-Ransom Funeral Directors.