Marina "Mousie" Gonzales

Her name was Marina Gonzales. Of course, if you called out that name, it is unlikely she would respond. As a precocious youngster she was Minnie Mouse, as a formidable young woman, she was Mighty Mouse, but for most of us, we just knew her as Mousie.

Born to Frank and Marina Moran in Tucson, Arizona, with seven siblings Ray, Lupe, Frank Jr., Richard, Danny, Bernie, and finally Teresa. Mousie was a first generation American. Moving to Yuma when she was 7 years old, she put down her roots and made a life in this little town by the river. In a small 2-bedroom 1 bathroom house on Magnolia Ave, she grew up with her large family filled with love and a devotion to the church. A Tomboy who loved sports and games, she was quick to steal her brothers' jeans and go out to play in the dirt. A yo-yo champion, she had a dedication to every hobby she picked up and was always striving to do better and achieve more.

In high school, her dedication to excellence was evident when she was awarded first chair violin in the orchestra, while also being a member of the glee club. Not to say that she was always following the rules and being perfect. One of her fondest stories is the time she skipped school to go see Elvis who was at the train station on a brief stop. While she professed that education and schooling were never her strong suits, it did not stop her from not only gaining entrance to nursing school, but excelling and graduating. As an LPN she went on to work for a local surgeon, Dr. Buster, for the next fifteen years.

An avid softball player, you would find Mousie most nights down at the ball field on 3rd street, setting up shop behind home plate in her catcher’s gear. While she had known Louie for years, as he was friends with some of her siblings, it was these evening softball games while she was working as a nurse that helped her see him in a new light. He played on softball teams and even coached the team that she was on, and that friendship bloomed into romance.

A whirlwind courtship of less than a year culminated in their marriage November of 1963. While still playing softball at night and a career during the day, they got started building their family. They grew to 3 in 1964 with the birth of their son Louis and completed the perfect American dream in 1967 with the birth of their daughter, Paulette. Raising the children in their traditions of faith and family they brought up their kids in Yuma participating in all types of sports and recreation activities.

In 1973, Mousie picked up her latest hobby, learning how to screen-print shirts. They soon became sponsors of every sports team in town, and as long as they were sponsoring them, and printing their uniforms, might as well play in the leagues as well. This is where Mousie really excelled, as one of the finest catchers to play fast pitch softball, her teams were a dominant force in Yuma sports.

While Mousie would have loved to continue being a terrifying force behind the plate for fast pitch softball, her life was about to take another sharp turn. With their first born at 18, and their daughter at 15, they found out that the family was set to grow again. In 1982, their last child, Michelle, was born.

Her surprise pregnancy put her time as a sports star behind her, and with that her son Louis started pressuring her to turn her screen-printing hobby into something more. In 1990 she opened Mousie’s Sports and Screen Printing. Her new role as an entrepreneur gave her great pride but required a serious dedication of hours and effort. Embracing her role as a small business owner she was more than willing to dedicate those hours, perhaps even encouraging some family members to donate some hours as well. Mousie’s logo became synonymous with Yuma as it appeared on the uniforms of almost every sports team of any level or age. Mousie took pride in being able to sponsor a love of sports in all the kids she could.

A heart attack in 2000 forced her to slow down and helped her make the decision to sell the business. This freed up a tremendous amount of time which she immediately turned around and dedicated to the role that gave her the most amount of pride in her life: Grandmother and Great-Grandmother. Anyone who met Mousie was sure to hear stories of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren as this role filled her with love and pride to a point she could not contain it.

That Love, the love of family, and her faith in God and the church are the compass of her life. At any age, in any role, Love and Faith helped steer her decisions and influence every part of her life.

As Mousie, a woman loved by so many, passed from this earth, she was surrounded by that loving family, Ray Moran, Lupe and Frank Hernandez, Frank Jr. and Mary Moran, Richard and Bea Moran, Danny Moran, and Bernie and Tom Bedoya. She passed in peace on the 28th of March 2024.

Mousie was preceded in passing by her mother, Marina, father, Frank, sister, Teresa, sisters-in-law Beatrice, and Catalina.

Mousie is survived by Louie, her husband of 60 years. Her three children, 7 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren.

The family would like to extend many thanks to the amazing compassionate nurses of YRMC who did so much to care for Mousie at various times over the last six months.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider making a donation in Mousie’s name to Hospice of Yuma, or St. Vincent De Paul of Yuma.