Paulo Antonio Gonzalez

Paulo Antonio Gonzalez was born on September 17th, 1979. He grew up on a two-home property in North Park with not only his mother, Anita and his older brother, Alex, but his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Paulo loved reminiscing over the trouble they’d all get into. His family grew to include his stepdad, Don and stepbrother, Donnie. The new family relocated to El Cajon. And soon welcomed his half-brother, Anton. Paulo enjoyed being a big brother and cared deeply for his entire family.

In 2004, Paulo met his wife, Sabrina. As coworkers they quickly became inseparable, spending all their time together, in and out of work. A shared love of food and travel turned their friendship into so much more. Their love for each other kept them together for 20 beautiful years.

The couple shared a tiny 3 lb. Yorkshire Terrier named Zero for over 15 years. He joined them all over from trips to the beach and park to even Coachella and everywhere in-between. Zero loved being by Paulo’s side.

On June 22nd, 2008, Paulo and Sabrina were married. Together they traveled around the world visiting over 20 countries and over 15 U.S. states. Their most memorable trips included: Dubai, Italy, Cambodia, Japan, and the Maldives. Paulo had a spirit for adventure. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for him to decide on a whim to take off. Spontaneity was how Paulo operated.

As foodies, they enjoyed trying new restaurants on the regular as well as maintaining allegiance to their favorites. A few of Paulo’s favorites included: Adalberto’s, Bronx, Shake Shack, K Sandwich, Phil’s, BeShock and gone but never forgotten, Saska’s.

And who could forget Paulo’s infectious laugh. He loved comedy all around: tv shows, movies, and standup specials. A few favorites were: The Office, It’s Always Sunny in PA, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Coming to America, Old School, Dave Chapelle, and Chris Rock. Going to comedy clubs was an all-time favorite activity. The best being the tiny hole-in-the-wall spaces with the never-heard-of-them comics.

As with all aspects of Paulo’s life, when he had an interest in something, he pursued it to the max. Shoes and hats, camping, biking, his truck, photography, gadgets, hydroponics. Whatever it was, Paulo knew everything and had everything that had to do with it. Even if he was into it today and over it tomorrow, doing things BIG was who Paulo was.

Another huge part of Paulo’s life was music. He frequently went to concerts and festivals including Lollapalooza in Chicago and O2 Wireless Festival in London. There’s no doubt Paulo introduced many to artists and songs they otherwise would have never heard of. You could find him listening to all sorts of music, but some top favs were: Hip Hop, Jersey Club, Funk, and Trip Hop. Paulo was the music man, our DJ for any occasion, playing the soundtrack to our lives. It’s no wonder he worked so many years in nightclubs doing lighting and sound.

Given all of Paulo’s interests he was of course our Google before Google. The man knew it all. And whether Paulo wanted to be or not, he was everyone’s IT guy. If it had to do with computers or any bit of technology, Paulo could figure it out. He was a jack of all trades. Working in various industries throughout his life.

And we certainly cannot ignore Paulo’s love of Mary Jane. From his secret garden at home to his jars of flowers, he was a true connoisseur. Weed was his cure all, the solution to any problem.

On March 9th, 2018, the unimaginable happened. Paulo was inexplicably hospitalized. He would need to have a craniotomy, and due to complications suffered a brain bleed leaving his future unknown. We would later discover that Paulo had a glioblastoma brain tumor. He was given a prognosis of 6 months to 1 year. Against all odds Paulo began a miraculous recovery that would span almost 7 years. He was able to relearn everything: speech, swallowing, memory, movement. Remarkably, Paulo came back little by little, rebuilding and improving. Paulo was so proud of all he had accomplished. And although Paulo faced adversity, he continued to live life to the fullest as he always did, never giving up.

Paulo enjoyed going to rehab and had been working towards walking again. He was unstoppable in his electric wheelchair. Paulo was forever a speed demon. Let’s not forget what his truck’s license plate read: SKERRTT. He loved hitting the streets of downtown and cruising Costco. Paulo’s puppy, Luna regularly ran around and all over Paulo, bringing a smile to his face. Paulo was happy spending time with his nieces and nephews and watching them grow up. He continued to listen to music around the clock. And Paulo’s favorite thing to do was simply hang out at home with his wife and mother-in-law, Laura while sipping iced coffee and puffing his pipe.

On October 18th, 2023, we were given the news that Paulo’s tumor was no longer stable, and the cancer had begun to grow. Faced with this scary news, Paulo continued to remain hopeful and fought as long as he could.

Through it all, friends and family were an important part of Paulo’s entire life. He had the ability to bring everyone together with his unrelenting confidence. Never wanting anyone to miss out, there wasn’t a soul Paulo couldn’t talk into something. Paulo never failed to be 100% unapologetically himself. In the past few years and even in his final days the number of people that came to visit and spend time with Paulo has been a true testament to the type of person he was.

Paulo passed away on November 8th, 2024, at the age of 45. He died peacefully at home surrounded by loved ones. Paulo was preceded in death by his mother. He is survived by his spouse.

A celebration of life for Paulo will be held Saturday, December 7, 2024 from 1:00 PM at Cypress View Mausoleum, Mortuary and Crematory, 3953 Imperial Ave, San Diego, CA 92113. Reception to immediate follow.