Jesus Jimenez Gonzales

Jess is survived by his sister, Mary Gomez of La Puente, California; son Jesus Gonzales, grandchildren Steven and his wife Julie, Deni, Michael, and Allee Gonzales, and great-grandchildren Liam, Freya and Serenity Gonzales, all of Sacramento; son David Gonzales of Belmont, New Hampshire, and grandchildren Sebastian and Adriana; daughter Rachel Gonzales of Mather California, and grandchildren Nick, Brittany, Zachary, Olivia and Gracie; stepdaughter Cheryl Lingel, her husband Andy Lingel of San Diego, grandchildren Sarah Moss, Laura Becerra, George Becerra, and great-grandchildren Savannah Moss, Sophia Moss, Jessica Becerra, and Lorianna Becerra; Michelle Bateman, her husband John Bateman of Carson City, Nevada, and grandchildren Audra Munos, her husband Alex Munos, Jenna Anderson, her husband Miles Anderson, Lee Brown and great-grandchildren Lennon Anderson and August Anderson; stepson Mark Marquez, his wife Michele Marquez of Merced, California, and grandchildren Christopher, Alyssa, and Stephen Marquez.

Jess was preceded in death by his parents, Jesus and Teresa Gonzales, and his wife of forty years, Dixie Lee Gonzales.

Jess was born on Christmas Day, 1935 in Los Angeles, California to Jesus and Teresa Gonzales. He graduated high school in 1954. He was drafted into the army in 1955, serving until 1957. He was selected for Miliary Police School and was stationed in Paris France for a time. In 1963 he married Peggy Joyce Ponton, and they had three children: Jesus, David, and Rachel. During that time, he worked at Southwest Forest Industries. Their marriage ended in 1973.

In 1974, he married the love of his life, Dixie Lee Marquez. She had three children from a previous marriage: Cheryl, Mark, and Michelle. Over the next 46 years, they lived together, worked together, and faced life’s challenges together. They ran small businesses in Atwater, California, then retired to Kingman, Arizona where Dixie died in 2020 at the age of eighty-two. Jess moved back to California where he was cared for by family and dear friends until his death from cancer in 2023.

He is remembered as a good, kind, and generous man. He worked hard, and he took care of those around him with love and attention. He was constantly attended in his convalescence by loving family and friends.

Jess was an excellent bowler, an avid Dodgers fan, and a voracious reader.

A funeral is scheduled for 10:00 am, Saturday, March 25th, 2023, at Nicoletti, Culjis & Herberger Funeral Home at 5401 Folsom Blvd. in Sacramento, California. Pastor Edward Black will officiate. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Jess’s life.

In lieu of flowers please send donations to The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation at: https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/community/foundation

The family would like to thank The Veteran’s Administration Healthcare System and A1 Healthcare for their excellent and compassionate medical, home health assistance, and hospice care.