Butter Gonzales

Our mother, Butter Torres Gonzales, was born on February 25, 1933, in Gonzales, California. Little did she know, the name of that city would become her name for the majority of her life. She was the fifth child born to Salvador and Jessie Piñon Torres. Her family moved to Delano in 1940, and her father began building People’s Market, People’s Cafe, and other properties.

Our mom attended Fremont School and graduated from 8th grade in 1948. When she was 13 years old, she met the love of her life, Lucio “Chio” Gonzales. She was in a car with his sister Marina. He didn’t notice her until he opened the car door and the overhead light came on. It was love at first sight for both of them. Our dad returned to Blythe and told everyone he had a girlfriend named Butter.

Our mom graduated from Delano High School in 1952. She moved to San Jose to live with her sister, Nellie, and worked at the cannery for Del Monte. Have you ever seen the movie, The Notebook? Well, that was the same type of love story as our parents. In fact, that was one of their favorite movies to watch together because it was so similar to their romance. After years off and on, long distance, etc., our parents finally got married on November 24, 1956. Their first child, Anthony, was born one year later. Their second child, Eddie, came three years after him. Our parents bought People’s Market and other properties from our grandfather, and our parents worked side by side for over 40 years. In 1963, Chio, Butter, Anthony, and Eddie moved into the home our mom designed and our Grandfather Salvador and Richard Chavez built. In 1967, Heidi was born and their family was complete.

Our father began to get more involved in politics, and our mom played a huge role in his successes. People respected our dad, but people loved our mother. She had the gift to be able to talk to anyone, and leave a lasting impression. Her cooking usually sealed the deal for our dad and whomever he was meeting with that day. Our mom was also a woman of deep faith, and she worshiped at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Delano nearly every day.

Family was everything to mom. She was the one who made homemade tortillas for us for breakfast, got us to school, and then headed to People’s Market to work for the day. She would come home and cook the most delicious dinners for us. Everything our mom cooked was delicious. It could just be papas and Spam and it would surpass anything you could find at a 5 star restaurant. She was famous for her menudo, chile verde, salsa, bologna sandwiches, and tortillas just to name a few. If she ever cooked for you, we bet you haven’t forgotten how much you enjoyed it.

Our mom loved her home. It was her castle, and she was definitely the ruler. Her home was always spotless. Anyone could drop in at any time - and they did - and they would not find a spec of dust or a spot on her floor. Many times relatives would stop by on their way to another destination and she would quickly whip up a meal for them. Our friends were always welcomed, and they always hoped they’d get some of her home cooking.

Our mom was a beautiful and classy lady. She would look fabulous in her apron and work clothes at the store, her chanclas and apron in her kitchen, and in her dresses and heels at the many social events our parents attended. Our mom always made sure our dad’s outfit matched hers. She was definitely a woman that could turn heads, even as she got older.

Our mom was the best grandmother and great-grandmother. She would create incredibly fun games using socks, beans, and cardboard boxes. All the grandkids have the best memories of their grandma having them over where she would give them all of her attention and energy. Even at 90 years old, our mom was playing “chick-a-dee-dee” with her two great-grandsons and chasing them around the house. All of us can sing every song she ever made up. The lyrics didn’t make sense, but she sang them the same way year after year.

Our mom was the healthiest and strongest person in the entire family. It wasn’t until the last three weeks of her life, that she was not herself. She died peacefully in her favorite place, her home, surrounded by her family who loved her with their whole hearts, and our dad was laying next to her holding her hand. Our dad said, “When you start reading a book, you need to finish it. This is our book, and this is how it ends.”

We know our mother is in heaven, because if she didn’t deserve to go to heaven, then none of us have a chance. She was kind to everyone she met. She helped everyone she met. She never judged others, and felt everyone had some good in them. The light of the family is no longer with us, but she taught us well, and we will continue as a family just as she wanted.

Our mom is survived by our dad, Lucio “Chio” Gonzales, son Anthony (Arleen), son Eddie (Lilly), daughter Heidi Dyar (Ken), grandchildren Aaron Gonzales (Nikka), Aubree Gonzales, Dena Dominguez (Steven), Jeffrey Gonzales, Marky Gonzales, Benjamin Bulseco, Michael Dyar (Megan), Samantha Dyar, great-grandsons Nathan and Gabriel Dominguez, and special family members, Debbie Bulseco, Janet Rabanal, Zachary Rabanal, Taylor Rabanal, Nicole Villaruz (David), Thomas and Violet Ramirez, Suzanne Villaruz, Arnie Morrison, Lou Villaruz, her sister Magdalena “Nena” Guillen (Louie), and many special nieces and nephews.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.delanomortuary.com for the Gonzales family. Services entrusted to Funeraria Del Angel Delano, a Dignity Memorial provider.