Filiberto Gonzalez was born on July 17, 1939 in Juarez, Chihuahua to Antonia and Filiberto Gonzalez. He was raised with two siblings, his older brother, Leonardo and an older sister, Gloria. As a young child, Filiberto liked to play marble games “Canicas" with other kids and his childhood best friends were Vincente Rojas and Luis Garnica.
At the age of thirteen his family moved to Los Angeles, California. He attended Belmont High School and his favorite subject was math. He took part in gymnastics and absolutely loved to dance. He graduated in 1958 as best dancer in his class.
At age sixteen, he began his career in the hospitality industry, as a houseman at the famous Cocoanut Grove at The Ambassador Hotel. He was very hardworking and driven and worked his way up from a busboy to waiter, then captain and eventually became a banquet manager. He also worked seasonally at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, where he personally waited on Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and was given the nickname, "The Kid" by Arnaz. He continued his work in hospitality management throughout much of his life, working for some of the most prominent hotels, such as The Beverly Hilton, The Los Angeles Convention Center, The Biltmore Hotel, The Queen Mary, Peninsula Hotel Beverly Hills and The Historic Mission Inn Riverside, to name a few.
During his career, Filiberto met and worked with many famous people, such as John Wayne, Neil Armstrong, Elizabeth Taylor, Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre, among many others. He coordinated various celebrity banquets, including the Golden Globe and Academy Award dinners. He was present at The Ambassador Hotel the night Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated.
Filiberto was not afraid to take risks and was endowed with an entrepreneurial spirit. In the 1970’s he acquired a pool hall and later a nightclub, Lalo’s Nightclub, which he purchased from “The Father of Chicano Music”, Lalo Guerrero. In the 1980’s he dove into the restaurant business and bought Mi Ranchito Mexican Restaurant, which was located in a landmark building that was the home of Charlie Chaplin in the 1920’s.
Filiberto’s natural leadership qualities placed him in consideration for public recognition, earning him accolades for his many and varied efforts throughout his life. Some of his most prestigious awards included many awards of service excellence.
In 1960 he married, his first wife, Laura Cueva and they had four children Laura, Norma, Filiberto III and Diana. Filiberto also met his lifelong friends, Pepe Gonzalez, Jose Luis Hernandez, Tino Mendez and Antonio Abdo during the early years of his career.
In 1979, at The Biltmore Hotel, he met and fell in love with Guadalupe Torres Gonzalez. They married in 1983 aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. They had three children Vanessa, Chantal and Louis Anthony. Filiberto was also blessed with fourteen grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
Filiberto enjoyed his leisure time by taking part in various hobbies. His favorite pursuits were coin collecting and early in life he owned vintage cars and enjoyed playing soccer with his co-workers and was passionate about pool. He enjoyed camping, traveling and loved dancing and music, especially mariachi, so much he was a regular at La Fonda, home of the famous Mariachi Los Camperos. His absolute favorite pastime was horse racing, attending The Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup.
Travel and vacations were experiences that Filiberto truly enjoyed with his family. Some of his favorite vacations included Cancun, Cabo, Spain, Hawaii, Orlando, Niagara Falls, Lake Tahoe and Grand Canyon. He loved trips to Disneyland with his kids and going to Las Vegas, where he eventually settled in 2002.
He loved their parrot Lorenzo, who they had for 38 years and their dog Max for 14 years. Later in life he loved and adored their cat Angelina, which he called her, "Chata". They were best friends for three years. She became his companion and provided him comfort to the very end of his life.
Filiberto held close traditional values and as a result, faith was important to him. He grew up Catholic and enjoyed being involved in his children and grandchildren’s Catholic Church activities. He especially loved being involved in his son and grandson’s Boy Scout Troop and would always attend their camping trips. Later in life he became a Christian and during that time, him and his wife were involved in church group activities.
His new life involved relocating to Henderson, Nevada, where he partially retired in 2002. In retirement, he continued his love of horseracing, fine dining and travel. He enjoyed watching his favorite shows, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Western classic movies and the latest Spanish soap operas.
Filiberto passed away on September 8, 2021 at Henderson Hospital with his beloved wife, Guadalupe, of 41 years by his side, holding his hand. Filiberto was laid to rest in Las Vegas, Nevada at Palm Eastern Cemetery.
Filiberto was able to bring pleasure and unexpected humor to everyone around him. He was outgoing and armed with great wit and a sense humor. This charismatic man loved a good “pachanga”; he was the life of the party. He enjoyed his life and the experience of living it. Filiberto always said, I lived my life like Frank Sinatra said, “I Did It My Way” – “Vivi A Mi Manera” This is how everyone will remember Filiberto Gonzalez.
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