Maria Elena Gonzales

Maria Elena Gonzales, 85, of Casa Grande, Arizona, passed away on November 16, 2025, in Chandler, AZ. She was born on August 7, 1940, in San Antonio, Texas. This would be the beginning of a life that would become a source of joy, laughter, and unshakable love for everyone blessed to know her.

Maria moved through the world with a glow that didn’t just shine, it wrapped around you. Her smile could change the temperature of a room, and her jokes could pull you out of the darkest mood. She carried joy so naturally, as if God Himself tucked it into her pockets before sending her into the world.

She was soft when you needed comfort but fiery when life called for strength and would cuss you out in a heartbeat if you didn’t get the message the first time. She was a woman who stood on her own two feet, proudly and fiercely independent.

Family was her heartbeat. Some of her happiest moments were the simplest ones, dancing with her grandkids and being silly, sitting outside in the Arizona heat listening to whatever music her son had blasting, or spending the day with her daughter doing their favorite things, eating, shopping, talking, and laughing. These were just some of the pieces of life she cherished most.

Everywhere she went, she talked about her children. Not casually but proudly and boldly. She bragged about them the way only a mother who loves deeply can. Her home was always full, rarely quiet, and never dull. Her tamales, big pot of menudo and potato salad were practically family traditions of their own, dishes that pulled everyone to her house and kept them coming back.

Her humor was unforgettable. Her signature sayings, “I don’t mess around!” and “I’m the OG,” with her throwing up the “B” close to her chest were iconic.

Maria loved with everything she had and losing her feels like a sorrow that language wasn’t built to carry. But her love didn’t leave with her, it’s the part of her we get to keep.

Maria leaves behind her children: Steven Hernandez, Tammy Johnson, Jimmie Beechum, Gloria Beechum, Timmy Beechum, Robert Beechum, Ruben Beechum and Gabriel Beechum along with a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren who adored her.

She is preceded in death by her siblings Anita Gonzales and Pablo Gonzales, her beloved son Antonio Beechum, and her beloved grandson Swann Hall.