Rafael Gota Gonzales

Rafael was born in 1943 in Reedley, CA to Francisca Juarez and Rafael Gonzales. Five years later, in 1948, they moved to Brentwood, CA. His parents were farm workers who lived in the BG labor camp; as a young man he worked hard in various fields and orchards around Brentwood with his mother Francisca and big sister Margaret. It was in these younger years where Rafael formed a foundation for good work ethic and a strong character that helped him be the leader he was born to be. As a young man when Rafael wasn’t working or going to school, he enjoyed bird hunting with his pointer.

Through the 50’s and early 60’s Rafael’s family moved to a house on Point of Timber owned by Pete Gambetta. Rafael worked on a barge in Byron, CA loading and hauling peat moss on the Delta for Mr. Gambetta.

In addition to contributing financially to his family, Rafael attended and graduated from Liberty High School in 1963. Rafael was very conscientious and valued his education, throughout his life he was a lover of learning. This helped him succeed in his next adventure in the U.S. military.

In 1965 Rafael was drafted to the U.S. Army. He went to basic training at Fort Ord, CA and then was stationed at Fort Benning, GA. He gained rank as an E-4 aircraft mechanic for 181st Aviation Company. It was his destiny to be drafted and it fulfilled the one passion that stayed with him until he passed; he loved the challenge of finding the solution to the puzzle. Rafael was known to build and weld anything that came to mind so to be chosen for this prestigious deployment in the Middle East as an aircraft mechanic was a dream come true.

While in the Middle East, he was also deployed to Africa on the Gemini 1 mission. Rafael was on emergency standby to recover the NASA spacecraft-Gemini 1. Rafael’s family was immensely proud of their hero.

If you spent time with Rafael, you were guaranteed an interesting story about his time in the service and all the adventures he experienced in the Army. He would make you laugh and keep you on the edge of your seat because he was a great storyteller, with one story after another. You would never be bored to be in the company of Rafael. He was a very interesting man with a lot of knowledge and always willing to help anyone. Rafael was wise beyond his years. That wisdom brought him many joys and he was able to use it to build houses during the next chapter in his life.

Before he was hired at John Burton Machine Corp. in Rodeo CA, Rafael helped build the Villa Creciente housing development for low income households and kept in touch with some of its residents up to the end. In 1970, he started his 33-year career as a journeyman machinist. Another dream come true; Rafael had opportunities to find solutions to various projects that his company put forth. This brought him so much satisfaction and pride. Rafael always could tell you stories of how he would enjoy the challenges of taking raw material and fabricating it into working machines like conveyors for Jack Daniels. Because of his contributions Rafael was able to create, along with his colleagues, a successful company; this earned him the utmost respect from senior managers.

As far as his personal life, he began a new chapter in 1974 when he married his lifelong partner of 45 years, Teresa. Teresa and Rafael built a home in 1979 on Beverly Place in Brentwood, CA. It was in this home where they dreamed of a ranch which became a reality in 1987 when they found a ranch, they both fell in love with. Rafael was especially excited as it had a huge barn; he would make his into beloved workshop.

Once he retired in 2003, Rafael found so many projects and found new hobbies like going to the flea market and yard sales haggling for a good deal or going to Delta Scrap in Oakley to find scrap metal to work on “projects” at home.

Rafael was indeed the life of any party whether it was just the two of you or a room full of people. He loved riding his tractor and raising livestock on his Ranch. Rafael raised a bull named Charlie; when you visited the ranch you always heard about what Charlie was up to. The Ranch will always hold special memories for anyone that visits because we will always remember Rafael tinkering around, either welding something, like his last project which was a utility trailer or gardening tomatoes and Persian melons.

Rafael is preceded in Death by his Mother-Francisca Juarez Gonzales, Daughter-Mary Lou Dessus. Survived by Wife-Teresa Gonzales, Daughter- Genoveva Gonzales, Granddaughters- Desiree Davenport & Veronica Dessus of Texas. Three great granddaughters- Averi, Riley & Lorelai. Sister-Margarita Muñoz of Stockton, CA and numerous nieces and nephews and in-laws and cousins.

Rafael will be dearly missed as we celebrate his life on Friday January 3, 2020 in Brentwood, CA. On behalf of his wife Teresa and daughter Geno, the Gonzales family wishes to thank everyone from the bottom of their hearts for the kindness, compassion and selfless acts that everyone has shown during this time of great sorrow.

By Vera Muñoz