They were married for 63 years.
Hermine Elfrieda (Gruber) Gonzales was called to eternal life on July 15, 2018. She was born and
grew up in Linz, Austria. After World War II in 1949, Hermine met her husband, Manuel
Gonzales who was stationed in Austria with the U. S. Army. They married and had two children
and then were posted in Stuttgart, Germany. Manuel and family were ordered stateside to Fort
Huachuca, Arizona where the family grew by three more children. Hermine became a
naturalized American Citizen on, November 9th, 1962. Soon after, the Gonzales Family was
stationed in Munich where the last child, was born. The family moved stateside to Fort Riley,
Kansas, while Manuel served in Vietnam. They were moved to Fort Ord in 1968 and in the early
70’s, the family returned to Germany and were stationed in Augsburg and then Göeppingen.
Upon retirement, the family finally settled in Seaside, California.
While bringing up five children in Göeppingen, Hermine was given the opportunity to work
outside the home. She was an instructor in the German Headstart Program providing
orientation in the German language and culture to the US Army troops stationed in Germany.
She received a letter of recommendation from the German Headstart Program in Europe. This
same program was in Fort Ord, California, and they immediately offered her an instructor
position. She accepted and taught for a short period of time. Hermine became an active
member of the German-American Club in Seaside. As the Entertainment Chairman, she
organized bus trips to casinos, planned group picnics, and annual Oktoberfests. The club
members looked forward to her delicious buffet spread when she hosted Kaffeeklatsch. Later,
Hermine worked for 22 years as a hostess on Casino overnight bus trips.
Hermine loved cooking Austrian, Mexican, and American dishes as well as baking Austrian
desserts for family and friends. She expertly baked Austrian bread, jam rouladen, cookies, and
cakes, also she was known to make fruit preserves; giving them away as gifts during the
holidays. After Christmas Eve dinner while caroling around the Tanenbaum, her family savored
every bite of her desserts.
Hermine was preceded in death by husband, Manuel; son, Allen; parents, Margarete (Magauer)
Atzmueller and Hermann Gruber; and sister, Margarete Gruber. Hermine is survived by her
sister, Henriette Kappler of Austria and her children: Gloria (Edward) Rauber of Seaside, Manuel
Jr. (AnaMaria) Gonzales of San Diego, Enrico (Monica) Gonzales of Salinas, Hellen (Jerry)
Stevens of Greenville, SC, and Victoria Sanders Gonzales of Monterey, as well as 10
grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.
A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 1475 La Salle Avenue, Seaside, Ca., at 10 a.m. on Friday July 27, 2018 with Burial to follow at San Carlos Cemetery, 792 Fremont Street, Monterey, Ca. A reception to follow at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church Reception Hall, 1475 La Salle Avenue, Seaside, Ca. Please sign Hermine's guestbook to leave messages to her family.
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