She passed away on November 7, 2022, at her home in Fresno.
Mercy’s family moved to Cantua Creek in 1935 and lived there for nine years, in migrant worker housing. She described her years in Cantua as happy ones, living with the children of other workers from many different ethnic groups and attending school in a one-room schoolhouse, grades K-8. The family bought a house in West Fresno in 1944 and Mercy attended St. Therese’s Catholic Girls High School for two years, before transferring to San Joaquin Memorial High School and graduating in 1948. She attended 4 C’s Business College in Fresno and worked as a bank teller, a stenographer, a mortuary technician and a clerical worker. She married Alfonso González in 1953 and bore him six children. Their first child died during delivery, but five children followed in the next eight years—Steven, Anna Marie, Edward, Mercy, and Barbara. Mercy and Al both emphasized the importance of education as the great equalizer, and instilled a deep love of learning in all of their children.
Mercy returned to work outside the home when her youngest child started school. She started out as a school office clerk and rose to the level of office manager. She took classes toward an A.A. degree in Nursing at Fresno City College but had to suspend her efforts to take care of Al. She worked in Fresno Unified for 20 years, and was named Classified Employee of the Year in 1988, the year she retired.
Family was the center of Mercy’s life. All five of her children were college graduates, four of them going into education and one becoming a physician. Mercy and Al made it a point to attend their various school programs, always encouraging and supporting them in their individual pursuits. She was also a proud parishioner at the Our Lady of Victory parish for 60 years.
After her retirement, Mercy and Al traveled throughout the United States, Europe, Mexico, and the Caribbean with a group of friends they called “The Committee”. Through their friendship with former Oakland Raider coach Tom Flores, who was from Sanger, Mercy and Al attended four Super Bowls. They lived their lives to the fullest.
Mercy was the first teacher of all of her children. She had an almost photographic memory, and could spell most words instantaneously. She provided a loving environment filled with books and music, and modeled charity and compassion to others. Mercy and Al’s union lasted 66 years, until Al’s death in 2019. She is survived by her five children—Steve Gonzalez and his wife, Dorothy; Anna Marie Gonzalez, M.D., and her husband, Les Buhr, M.D.; Edward Gonzalez, Ed.D. and his wife, Barbara; Mercy Pacheco; and Barbara Flores and her husband, Edward. She is also survived by her “adopted” son Jim Simpson, her former-daughter-in-law Angela Andrade, and her 14 grandchildren—Steven Michael Gonzalez and his wife Bonnie; Bryan Gonzalez and his wife, Caroline; Nora Crow and her husband Brian; Rachel Lopez and her husband Tony; Rick Buhr-Gund and his wife Charlotte; Phillip Miller and his wife Faren; Amy Byrne and her husband Jamey; Miranda Andrade-Gonzalez; Alana Gonzalez; Selena Gonzalez and her husband Brendan Bloom-Sweeney; Olivia Pacheco and her fiancée Sheldon Brown; Alfonso Pacheco; Eddie Flores and his wife Julie; and Christina Flores. She is also survived by her 20 great grandchildren—Michael, Matthew, and Aaron Gonzalez; Sarah and Julia Gonzalez; Dylan, Charlotte, and Tanner Crow; Owen and Xitlali Lopez; Remy Buhr-Gund; Tyler and Reid Miller; Lilly, Robbie, and Levi Byrne; Mireya Bloom-Sweeney; and Lillian, Edward (“Drey”) and Sophia Flores. She is also survived by her brother George Baeza and her sister Margie St. Louis. She was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Beulah Velasco, Bertha Savala, and Mary Jessie Leon, brother Rudy Martinez, former-son-in-law Gerson Pacheco, and great-grandson Sean Miller. Mercy is also survived by many cousins and numerous nieces and nephews, as well as many friends.
Visitations will begin on Monday, November 21, 2022 at 4:00 p.m., followed by the recitation of the Holy Rosary at 6:00 p.m. at Stephens and Bean Funeral Chapel in Fresno. The funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, November 22, at 11:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Victory Church in Fresno. Burial will follow at St. Peter’s Catholic Cemetery. A reception will be held immediately after the burial at the Frank A. Homan Elementary School cafeteria, 1602 W Harvard Ave, Fresno, CA 93705.
In lieu of flowers, Mercy wished that donations be made to the donor’s favorite charities, or to the “CSUF Foundation” for the Alfonso and Mercedes Gonzalez Endowed Scholarship, for the CSU Fresno Craig School of Business students with preference given to first generation college students. Send donations to: Fresno State Advancement Services, 5244 N Jackson Ave, M/S KC 45, Fresno, CA 93740, Account # 31007.196735.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.stephensandbean.com for the Gonzalez family.
