Being the oldest I would like to say something about my grandpa on behalf of my sisters and cousins. I want to start off by saying thank you to him for being a great example to all of us. Showing us to always put faith first, put God first and believe in his plan for each of us. Also how to love your partner. Watching him and my grandma, how affectionate they were and how in love they were with each other taught me what love is supposed to be. He always reminded us how proud he was in all of our accomplishments. 

Even though my grandpa isnt with us anymore physically, he will always be in each and everyone of us. His spirit will always be watching and is also within my grandma because they were and will always be one and we will never forget that. He was a great husband, father and grandfather. It's still so unreal for me because I thought I'd have much more time with him. He will be missed greatly. We love you so much grandpa.

Celebration of our Brother Gil Apodaca

We first met Gil N Rose in September of 2009, on our original W.W.M.E weekend.  And as we speak with you today it is difficult not to see or day "Gil N Rose" as we reflect on Gil and the Love and Friendship we have grown to experience with them over the years.  

The Unity this love couple shared set the bar high or all of us to follow.  Their love and trust for our Lord and our lady did as well, and they were so strong in their love and devotion to both.  

Like so many others I was inspired with the way Gil had made the daily choices to love.  To love Rose, his family and all he did.   To Love our Lord and our lady.   To love the beloved ministry of W.W.M.E.  He Served and loved his life with passion.  
He lived out the core values of what we share and talk about on the weekend.  Showing us how to dialogue, keeping our relationships a priority, our prayer life and attention to our sexual relationship would keep our relationships vibrant.  And oh and  that last area was his favorite part.

He always reminded us that our relationship wasn't at its best and we weren't focused on our dialogue.  We couldn't help others or be the best we could be.

Gil's spiritual life inspired me to devote more time to daily prayer.  Before our weekend I had never prayed the rosary, said a novena, or shared daily devotionals with my beloved.

Gil's love of sports was also a common ground we found great joy and delight with.  Gil being a Dodgers fan and me a Giants fan led to some fun times of teasing, boasting, and rubbing in wins to each other.   I always knew when my Giants lost I would hear it from my fiend Gil.  Pridefully letting me know that his boys in blue took it to my Big Orange.

I always admired Gil's style and his color coordinating of his shirts and shoes.  Whether it be on a weekend or his daily attire he always dressed to impress and so brilliantly displayed his colors of blue, purple, or red and yellow.

Gil’s faith and trust in in our Lord, Our Blessed mother and his ability to submit himself to the will of the father have been nothing short of amazing devotion and one of his gifts that I aspire for.   Seeing this amazing devotion in his sharing the holy spirit Novenas with us as presenting teams as we prayed for a weekend and all the couples who would be attending.  Offering prayers and rosaries and praying over Denise when she fought cancer was another way, he shared that devotion with us.

Most recently I witnessed his humility and his trust in God when he was diagnosed and faced his diseased and faced his disease.  Gil could have easily complained and said Why Me?  Or questioned God and got bitter and angry.
But n that was not Gil’s style.  He accepted the will of his father in heaven and offered his sufferings up for others.  We got to journey closely with Gil and Rose as his illness progressed.
We watched Gil fight this disease, prayed with him and blessed him.  And watched his trust in the Father as he was called closer to God taking him back to himself.  Gil stayed devoted, committed, and accepting of God’s will. 
Visiting with him and Rose the last few months and just before Father’s Day Gil stayed strong in accepting God’s will for him.  Gil carried his cross with such grace and acceptance.  He stayed strong for his Beloved, his children and grandchildren as his health deteriorated. 
In 1st Peter verse 5:10 Reads…
“And the Glory of all grace, who has called you to his eternal Glory and Christ Jesus after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong. Firm and steadfast.”  
I’ve always seen Gil and Rose as our guardian angels here on earth and I firmly believe that through Gil’s suffering he was received into heaven as a saint.  I sent a text to Rose and the Apodaca family the hour Gil went home, and it read “Our Lord and our Blessed Mother received Gil’s soul in heaven” and as they embraced him and revealed the glory of heaven to him, they said t him “Well done good and faithful servant. Well Done.”
We want to thank Rose and the entire Apodaca family for asking us to share a little bit of our love and admiration for Gil.  He along with Rose will forever be engraved in our hearts and we will truly miss him.   You will all forever be in our prayers.

We love you!! 



We don’t know how to share anything about Gil without adding Rose.  They were two bodies but one flesh.  The truest example of the God made union of a man and woman in the Sacrament of Marriage we have ever known. The light of God’s love was brighter in our world through their faithful, playful and passionately love for one another. Their selfless way of life touched ours after 16 years of our marriage and without the part they played in our lives the anniversary of our 40th coming up would certainly have arrived with so much less joy, love and passion than it will, God willing, because of the gift of their Sacrament.  We can only imagine the beauty of Gil’s arrival in heaven and the joy he is now experiencing because of all the love he gave to his beloved wife, family and friends and perfect strangers until they made a weekend.  We miss him, we ask him to pray on our behalf as he waits for us there.  He will always be remembered in our hearts and in the hearts of hundreds and hundreds of people Gil and Rose touched while they were together on this earth and are still motivating to be better lovers through the memory of their marriage. 
We can only imagine how hard it is for your family not having him physically here but every time you choose to love he is right there in your midst. God’s love connects us all for eternity.  We love you all and you are always in our prayers. 

Mike+Rosy Stock

If I speak in human and angelic tongues* but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails... So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

I decided to start with this scripture because I believe this reading exemplifies my dad’s legacy.   I believe if I asked my dad what he wanted to be remember for, he would want to be remembered as a man of God who was deeply devoted to his wife and family.   And this is who my dad was.   My dad was the real deal, he wasn’t fake.  He wasn’t one way in front of his family and another way in front his “church” friends, and another way in front of other people.   My dad walked his talked.   And he didn’t do it out of duty, he did it out of love. 

I remember growing up, we were a very Catholic family.  I remember my friends saying that they felt like they were walking into a church when they came over because of all of the religious pictures on the walls and statues.   See, I what you would call a Marriage Encounter baby.  I was born AW…..after a weekend.   In fact, I am pretty sure there are some of you out there who received a two ringer about 38 years….here I am.   We never missed any Holy days of obligation and there were plenty of times we’d go to multiple masses per weekend when my parents were giving pulpit talks.   Even though my parents were always together and truly a unity front, for whatever reason, I felt like my mom was the driving force behind our weekly rosaries and family prayer, family dialogue, etc.   Partly bc it was my mom who initiated it and when we would complain, my dad would give us that “I have worked in a correctional facility for 20 years and grew up in LA during the 50’s and 60’s don’t mess with me look” and so we would all get in line and do what my mom said.   One of the “family traditions” was when we got into the car and if it was going to be long drive, more often than not we would say the rosary.   I remember one time, it was just my dad and I in the car.  I can’t remember where we were going.  I was probably about 12ish.   I just remember thinking, “oh good, it’s just dad, mom is not going to make us do the rosary.”   And no soon then I said this, my dad reaches for his car rosary and he starts in on the creed.  As we drove together in the car, I remember thinking to myself, this is for reals with my dad.  I didn’t really fully understand the impact on this until I was an adult and I really started reflecting on who I wanted to be as a father, husband and man.   But, that memory sticks with me and really brings to light that my dad’s faith was not just something he did to make my mom happy or do because it was the “right thing”.   He was truly in love with our Lord and had deep devotion to our Lady.    
I dad used to have a bumper sticker on his car that read: We found something worth passing on…the Catholic Faith.   I think of all the things that my dad did, they weren’t for nothing because he had love.  He did it out of love.  You couldn’t do what he did without true love and passion.  All the years of ministry and service, he did it because he loved it.   That example that he set for me and really for all of us, will be with me forever.    He passed on to me and hopefully I am passing onto my children, my dad’s grandchildren, is the same love for our God.   This same concept, that the only think that really matters in life, is love.   That when we love one another, as Christ loves us, we are living out our true meaning.   My dad was a great example of this and his sacramental union with my mom, was the vehicle in which he express this love.  

Dad, I love you, we miss you.   When it’s my time, I know you will be there right next to Jesus with open arms waiting to give me a big hug.   



Before we met Gil through Marriage Encounter, we asked our mentor couple, Amber and Felix, 'who are Gil and Rose?' and 'how would we recognize them?'  Amber said 'look for the sexiest couple on the dance floor.'  Well, we saw them that night and recognized Gil and Rose right away.  The year was 2008.

Gil and Rose led our section/region of W.W.M.E. with an emphasis on relationship.  

Gil would share, very openly and honestly, how he went from super cool athlete jock to loving husband.  Gil joked that you could see his heel marks in the parking lot where Rosa Linda dragged him, Gilbert, to their WWME weekend.  After that weekend, Gilbert and RosaLinda became Gil and Rose.

Gil and Rose showed us how two become one, even though Gil and Rose were separate, different individuals.  Rose smiles all the time.  Gill always had a serious look on his face, especially when listening to someone.  Then he would break into a big smile with laughing eyes.

We visited Gil and Rose when Gil was very sick.   He was taking oxygen and could not walk very far without resting.  He had a recurring, unrelenting cough -- this cough led to a dislocated rib.  Gil was still Gil.  He joked about how he was on the last notch of his belt.  Rose explained that the both of them talked and dialogued and were at peace, that their relationship was ever strong.  We walked out to our car, sat there for a bit, and realized that we were feeling a very strong sense of peace.  Gil and Rose had given us their peace.

Thank you Gil, and Rose, for sharing your relationship and your peace with us.

Good evening Family & Friends.  Many of you traveled from all over the country to be here today to celebrate the life of my dad Gilbert Joseph Apodaca.   I want to thank you all for being here today.

I see many familiar faces and some not so familiar.  For those who may not know me, I am Gilbert Apodaca Jr.  I hope I get a chance to meet each and every one of you.  You are all an extension of our beautiful family.  Your prayers, love and support during this difficult time has been absolutely amazing.  

I am here with my beautiful wife April, and together we have 7 children.  6 gorgeous girls and 1 prince.  We are a blended family brought together by love and God almighty.  Brothers and sisters in Christ, let me tell you…we are so blessed.  

The journey to this point in our lives has been full of many low and high points.  One of the greatest gifts my Dad ever gave me is that he believed in me.  He continued to believe one day I would come back to God and as well as find my happiness.   One of the last things he told my wife April while in the hospital was thank you for loving my son.  I felt very proud to hear my dad say this.  

In recent days as we were preparing for the services, we met with Father Miguel, a friend of the family for over 30 plus years.  He said something that struck me so true.    He said, “I can’t think of a time where I have ever seen Mom and Dad separate.  They were always together.”  Everyone here can attest that this is so true!  Guys even in the house…they were not in separate rooms.  They ate meals together, exercised together, you name it….

Which made my alone time with Dad this last year so special to me.  I want to share some intimate recent memories.

Knowing Dad’s disease was progressing, around summer last year I decided I need to involve myself as much as possible.  As you know all know my Dad is stubborn!  So, I started to join mom and dad on the doctor visits.  We drove to Scottsdale to try Stem cell therapy.  I knew by then days were numbered.  So, I thought what can I do for dad that would be special…so I went out and bought dad a wheel chair and we went to the Dodger Game.  He was on oxygen already.  But man, what a memory!  He was smiling from ear to ear.   You see Dad loved his Dodgers! He loved baseball.  No matter how bad he was feeling we can always sit there and talk Dodgers.  

On the days I would come to help out; mom would start running her errands.  Dad would be on his favorite side of the love seat.  After I did some chores we would sit and talk, or he would fall asleep and I would watch him.   Some days he had CNN on, or some days he would have music on his iPod on to his favorite oldies or Cumbias.  My favorite days is when mom would want me to take him to the neighborhood barber.  A little hole in the wall.  Even though his hair had been thinning he would still have the barber thin out his hair.  They would do it once or twice but stop because they knew it was already thin.  Funny guy.

It’s the small moments of peace I enjoyed the most.  I loved and appreciated the conversation, and the dad advice.  When you shared a story of a current event he would listen, maybe ask a few questions.  Dad never would push his advice on you.  He would be happy to share his thoughts and advice when you asked for it.  

In many of the more recent conversations, Dad would tell me how much he knew mom was suffering.  He knew every time he coughed it would break her heart.  I could relate…because every time I drove home from helping, I cried.  The coughing was a harsh reminder of this horrible and aggressive disease was inside Dad.   Yes, we know Dad suffered… but the whole time he was more concerned about mom.  He wanted mom to get out and away from the house.  This brought peace to his heart when mom could get a break.  

Dad was so unselfish.  His love and dedication for mom has always been second to none.  It has been an honor and a privilege to see it first hand for my whole life.  Speaking of Marriage…we grew up with Marriage Encounter as an extension of our family.  Couples such as Bob & Sylvia, Jessie & Jessie, The Pacheco’s, Filomena and Duarte, and so many more…as kids we knew when the MME weekends would come up.   We knew we were staying at one of their houses.  To all Marriage Encounter couples, we love you and thank you for being a part of our family.

Over the years there has been so memories I will hold close to my heart.  I remember when I was a young boy and dad bringing me to the prison where he worked.  It was in the evening and the prison was hosting boxing matches.   I would be sitting with some guards and some inmates that were on good behavior watching the boxing matches.  I remember the day I struck out 18 batters in a single game and Dad was so proud of me.   I remember the year he coached on the Senior little league and we made it too western regionals.  I was chosen to the all-star team to represent the city of Fontana and he was chosen to coach the all-star team and we played other cities.  I remember the day I took him to a special dinner Gala that helped under privileged kids of Los Angeles and local communities.  I was the President of the foundation putting on the event and we had Tommy Lasorda and 8 other Dodger legends in attendance.  He was able to meet all the stars in a private room, talk baseball, get autographs and pictures with them.  I remember when I took mom and dad to see Tierra, Malo and El Chicano.  What a fun night of singing and dancing from our seats.   

I will always remember that my dad never stopped loving me nor did he stop praying for me during my years away from the family.  I will never forget all his hard work day in and out to provide for his family and take care of mom.   I will never forget poker nights with grandma and grandpa and the rest of the family.   I will never forget hearing him singing to mom their favorite oldies.  I will never forget his playfulness with mom.  Always loving, always try grab a quick fill on mom lol!! You guys know!

Lastly, Dad had a passion for music.   Just like my grandpa Moe he was in a band.  My dad played the sax or as mom says the “sexy sax”; among other instruments.   Grandpa Moe played his guitar in trio’s as well as for the church for many years.  I don’t play an instrument however I have been a DJ for 25 years.   I am proud that he was able to see that.   That was one topic we always loved talking about.  The next Gig  

I started off earlier by saying we are blessed.  That’s one thing I learned from mom and dad.  We have been blessed with second chances, loving family, amazing friends and good times. 

I will end with a message from my dad to the grandkids.  No matter your last name we are all Apodaca’s.  Respect and love yourself because God did not make junk.   Grandpa Loved you all and will always be there for you.  

Today we are all one family celebrating a man that was a true man of God and led by example.  A man of few words; but when he spoke, he was always heard.  A proud man of his wife and family.  A man who was not ashamed of his love for God and lived it every day.  

My God you are my Shepard, My God you are my Father, My God you are my King- I lift up my grief, anxiety and worries to you O Lord for protection, care and guidance.  

Dad…You will be missed!!! love you! 


What can I say about Gil that you all haven’t felt or heard already?  He was an extremely faithful man, to our Lord, our Blessed Mother, to Rose, and his family.  He loved and lived for his family and of course for Marriage Encounter.  If it wasn’t for Marriage Encounter we would never have met Gil and Rose.  1996 seems like so very long ago and yet it seems like yesterday as we sat around the table of Rick and Mary White meeting this amazing couple and making the connection of a lifetime with Gil and his beautiful bride, Rose ( my brother and sister in Christ).  From that day on they had a permanent home in our hearts.  

Now I will speak mostly about Gil, but Rose, you know you are so dear to us as well, and to me personally as you and I shared so many similar life experiences.  We love you!!

Gil could brighten up any room he walked in to, his jovial laughter and demeanor made you feel as if you had been lifelong friends already, even if you just met him.  We shared many weekends together, the dreamers day in Vegas, the fun trips with the kids, and running from casino to casino to experience all the outdoor shows.  His sense of humor was the best and how many times did I hear the words….”Honey, what are you doing” from Rose as he would grab her…. and you all know Gil, I don’t need to elaborate!  And through their love, their children were all the same, loving, caring, and welcoming of us and they are all in our hearts as well.  

Gil never gave up on me or us, so many times I would be feeling down when all of a sudden I would get a text asking about our dialogue.  We loved when they would travel to New Mexico to visit family as we were the half way point and that would give us the special and alone time with Gil.  His hugs always were able to change your mood.  But by the same token, he was the only one who could truly get me in particular, and he did not hold back, he let me know when I was not digging deep enough or not being honest with myself.  

Gil, you inspired us to always pray for passion, to fight fair… (and in the nude, he said we couldn’t stay angry with each other that way) and to be the best version of ourselves that we could be, to always keep God in the center of our lives and not to forget that our Blessed Mother will always intercede for us.   Gil, you showed us the value of daily dialogue, and how what we do as a couple can affect many people around us, not just our children or family.  You were our true examples of servants of the Lord and disciples, of love, of romance, and for this beautiful ministry that joined our families.  Gil, I know that you are no longer suffering and we promise to continue your legacy of always Praying for Passion.  We love you and you will always be in our hearts

       Gil is a very precious gift from God.  As we celebrate my Honey’s life, I am filled with so many feelings of blest, loved, thankful, proud humbled and in awe!
                     I’m going to miss the heck out of this wonderful man God brought into my life. What a tremendous gift and treasure. When we first married, I knew we loved each other deeply but the depth of our love grew by leaps and bounds especially after our W.W.M.E weekend when we committed to our daily dialogue, more prayer as a couple and family and opened our hearts to serving Our Lord & Blessed Mother.
                    I often told Gil and others that I was the luckiest woman alive to have a man who loved me so deeply, valued me and my faith, listened to me and sacrificed for us and our family. I am so proud to be his wife, lover, best friend and partner in life.  He always told other’s I was his hero.  But in my heart, he was my hero.
                   Gil was a passionate servant of God and devoted to Our Blessed Mother. He was playful and had a weird sense of humor and yet so cute. I loved his ‘come hither looks’. He had me laughing with his crazy imagination. He had a passion to honor and live out our sacramental call.  So, our motto in life was to be playful, prayerful and passionate.
                   Our first, “Yes” to serve in W.W.M.E ministry was the beginning of a fire in him to give of ourselves to one another, our children and whatever God had in store for us.  And believe me, he had plenty in store for us in our journey ahead. But it was Gil who usually jumped in with a “yes” no matter what barriers we had financially, health wise, job pressure. The biggest challenge and priority was to make that balance for time with our children. He embraced the opportunity to serve for God’s glory!
If Gil could talk to you all right now, he would tell you how much he loves you and to please, please love one another as God loves you, to honor your Sacrament and be those beacons that light up the world with His presence. He would also challenge you all to dialogue. As most of you know we wrote a love letter to each other every day since our weekend – Over 39 years!
We had several grace-filled moments before he died and one of them was writing me our last dialogue letter that day before he died. I’d like to share it with you…


‘Hi Babe,
I love you so very much and I give praise and thanksgiving for you in my life as my Sacramental partner. I appreciate and treasure your unconditional and unselfish efforts to love me and take care of me. TU!
Father, Son of Holy Spirit & Mother Mary; TU for the love you allow us to share with one another. Thank you for your sacrificial, healing love for us all, and your holy presence in us. TU for the many blessings to our lives over the years, especially my Lover, family and friends and so much more. I ask you, that you continue to grant us whatever graces we need to be able to carry our cross with dignity and love.
Babe, there’s so much I need and eventually will share with you but what stirs up really strong feelings is your 200% unconditional love you have shown me over the years and lately these past days.
Babe your unconditional love is amazing and beyond human love. God definitely has a hand in all this and thus you are reflecting and being a great example of God’s love for us! 
As I reflect on this, I have many strong feelings. It’s hard to pick just one feeling or even two, but Ill say it’s a combo of blest and loved. These feelings are a blend of bright gold and red in color and have a beautiful, sweet fragrance of roses from our yard or your perfume. A good visual might be the picture of the yellow rose we took on our pilgrimage that revealed our Lady in the center. Seeing the faces of our family and friends and Father Miguel and Father Joe at our 50th Anniversary is another good example for my blest and loved feelings.
You might also relate it to how blest & loved I feel as we lay in each other’s arms. The miracle of seeing each one of our children being born, is also a good example.
Perhaps, you have felt a similar way the times I share something difficult and vulnerable with you in our dialogue.
I’d say the intensity for me is at least 10 ½!
I love you babe
“YLBF”


What a treasure and a gift despite how he was feeling! My love, rest in peace in the arms of Our Lord & Blessed Mother! I will love you always & look forward to someday seeing your smile & feel your embrace and dance with you again!


    To say that I respected my dad would be the understatement of the year. My dad embodied the essence of the man that I strive to someday be. He undoubtedly lived out his values without compromise whether in front of a crowd or behind closed doors. He demonstrated to my brothers and myself what it truly means to be a man of God and a devoted husband and father.

    
    Some of the memories that have stayed with me over all these years are of my dad dancing with my mom in the kitchen, hearing my mom dialogue over the phone with him when he was traveling for work, and seeing both my parents going up to the altar on Sundays as Eucharistic ministers.

    As a father, my dad was loving but firm. Oh, how I would push the limits with him, especially as a teenager! I distinctly remember dressing like a cholo with the cliche drooping pants that were about ten sizes too big for me. I would walk in the door, and my mom would warn me, "You better get out of those clothes before your dad sees you." "Yeah, whatever, let him see me," I would boldly (and arrogantly) say to myself. But when I heard that garage door opening...you better believe I'd be booking it up the stairs to change then!

    No, I didn't exactly make things easy on my dad, but, through it all, I never once doubted his love for me or that he would be there for me when I really needed him, no matter what I had done. 

    Thank you, Dad. You not only told me, but, more importantly, you showed me what it means to be a Christian man of honor and integrity. I miss you, but I know this distance is only temporary. Until I see you again, say hi to Grandpa Moe and Uncle Louie for me, and have fun teaching those angels how to play ping-pong in Heaven!


DAD
I don't know what to say or how to feel ......
Thank you for being my dad.  I admired your quiet strength and sense of humor.  Thank you for taking care of our family.  Thank you for loving mom and now reminding her of your love and presence.  Thank you for your example and patience.  If I could of taken your suffering away I would of.  I'm glad we had some special time together. Thank you for your words of wisdom you shared.  You are missed.  You are Loved and will be always in our hearts forever!
Your one and only daughter :)
Antonette


We will always keep Gil in our hearts & many great memories that we have of him.  He will be missed so much!!!  We are so grateful to have been good  friends and shared many great times with him & Rose.  Thank you Gil for sharing your life with us😍❤️   Until we meet again some day🙏🏻  May you Rest In Peace🙏🏻🙏🏻

I’ll never ever forget Gil and Rose Apodaca  ! We shared time and hugs with them last year in Chicago  at the 50th WWME Convention and didn’t know that it would be our last hug! We learned so much and shared many conventions and conversations! They had a beautiful 50 years of Marriage! We tell their stories now!If you are married realize the gift you have in your spouse and never take it for granted! A WWME Weekend and being a Presenting Team Couple in this Ministry has been the best of our marriage! RIP Gil and God hold Rose in the palm of your hand as only you can comfort her now!

OBITUARIO

Gilbert Joseph Apodaca

9 diciembre, 1946 – 20 junio, 2019

Montecito Memorial Park and Mortuary

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