Lacy Alene Gonzales

From a young age, it was clear that the ministry was her calling and leadership was her grace. At the age of sixteen, she began working at Rhema Bible Church in the church bookstore. At age seventeen, she began attending Rhema Bible Training Center, of which she always quipped that she was the only seventeen year old to ever get in. At this time, she also took on the infamous role of secretary for Maggie Wimmer in the data processing department at Kenneth Hagin Ministries.

On April 18, 2002, Lacy went on her first date with her future husband, Chad Gonzales. They were engaged on December 25, 2002 and married June 7, 2003 at Rhema Bible Church. Upon their marriage, they moved to Beaumont, Texas where Lacy began to find her love of real estate and renovating houses. Beginning with their first 800 sq ft house, she discovered a unique knack of finding fixer uppers, seeing their potential and bringing back 15 houses to life over the next 15 years.

Although Lacy enjoyed their various business ventures on the side, ministry was always the passion that drove her in life. In 2006, Chad and Lacy moved to College Station, Texas to start their first church. Over the next 18 years that was filled with planting two churches and starting a traveling ministry, Lacy’s God given creativity and passion to reach people became evident. Lacy’s ability to creatively reach people with the Gospel of Jesus was something amazing to behold. From creating children’s curriculum, writing and producing theatrical productions and organizing outreaches that reached several thousand people at a time, Lacy was able to reach the unreached through the grace of God upon her life.

Many times at church, you would find Lacy surrounded by the children and teenagers. She didn’t seek them out; they would seek her. You couldn’t help but be pulled in by her beautiful smile, her infectious laugh and her zeal for life. When she walked into the room, she instantly became the light in it. It was her innocence, joy and relatability that was so attractive. She loved helping people and was always quick to sow into their lives. It was common to find her giving a waiter the biggest tip of their life, paying for someone’s groceries at the grocery store or slipping someone cash that she felt led to help.

Lacy’s creativity was always sparked by her willingness to dream. All throughout her office and her home, you would find pictures and statements about “imagining” and “dreaming big.” Much of this was the reason you could find her at Disney World so much. Lacy was always inspired by Walt Disney’s ability to creatively see what was possible in the midst of impossibilities. She loved going through Disney to find ideas as to how to reach children and reach people through fun and creative means. One of her favorite quotes was, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

Outside of Lacy’s fun and creative side of ministry, Lacy was also known worldwide for her love of animals; if it had four legs, Lacy was in love. From kissing camels in Kenya, rescuing baby skunks in Oklahoma, jogging with donkeys in Florida and raising miniature pigs in Arkansas, Lacy loved them all. She believed that every animal deserves a home and some love…regardless if it was wild or not and regardless of the expense. Many times at night, you could find Lacy on her back porch feeding wild raccoons and possums from her hand. It was believed that in every city Lacy lived, the animals began to talk and spread the word that their savior had arrived.

Lacy was an accomplished entrepreneur, talented baker, creative genius and minister of the Gospel; however, for Lacy, her greatest accomplishment was her family. If there ever was a woman that knew how to love her husband, it was Lacy and yet if there ever was a prize for world’s greatest mom, Lacy would have won it time and time again.

Lacy’s greatest thrill in life was becoming a mother. In the years leading up to having Jake, Lacy expressed concern that she wouldn’t be a good enough mom; however, on October 3, 2008, she began proving herself magnificently wrong. Over the next fourteen years, although Lacy was busy with business and ministry, she was completely devoted to motherhood - Jake became her world. Every Christmas, Valentines, Easter…any holiday was always an opportunity to celebrate Jake with homemade goodies and an abundance of presents - and when she ran out of holidays, “Jake Day” was instituted on June 3 as an annual Gonzales holiday. Why June 3? It fit right in between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

On Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 8:15pm, at the age of 40 years old, Lacy moved to Heaven to be with Jesus. Although she is no longer physically here, her ministry will continue on through her family as well as through all of the people around the world in which she imparted her love and grace.

Lacy is survived by her husband, Chad Gonzales and their son, Jake Gonzales; her parents, Terry and Darlene McNeill; her sister Lindsey Barr-McNeill and her children Silas and Elizabeth; her sister Tara Barstad, husband Neil and their daughter Taylor; her father and mother in law, Wayne and Evelyn Gonzales; her sister in law Jamie and Eric Fox and their children Nathan, Macy and Brady; and her brother in law Justin and Danielle Gonzales and their children Miles and Mathis.

A private graveside service will be held at Myrtle Hill Memorial Park in Tampa, Florida on April 17th. A public Celebration of Life service will be held on April 24th at Rhema Bible Church in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.HillsboroMemorial.com for the Gonzales family.