Richard Gaona

Richard Gaona, our Dad, was born in Fresno, California on September 6, 1968 to Dora Gaona and Joaquin Gaona. He grew up in Greeley, Colorado before moving to Mission, Texas. He graduated from McAllen High School in 1989.

Dad’s best friend and brother, Adolfo Gaona, preceded him in death; Dad missed him immensely every day for the rest of his life. We hope that when Dad closed his eyes here on Earth, he opened them in heaven to the sight of Adolfo. We hope they are making the angels laugh like they used to make us laugh here on Earth. Dad was also preceded in death by his grandfather and mentor, Jose Gaona, and his grandmother Irene Gaona.

Dad is survived by both of his parents, Dora and Joaquin. He is survived by us, his children, Richard, Mary, and Matthew. He is survived by his siblings Yolanda (Stephen), Delfino (Glenda), Christy (David), Mary (Jose), and Bernie (Monica). He is survived by his aunt Lupe, whom we thank for taking care of him to the best of her ability. He is survived by countless aunts, uncles, and cousins as near as Texas and as far as Colorado, California, Arizona, and Mexico.

Dad was an avid Cowboys fan – so much so that one of us has an accidental scar on our head to prove it. He loved listening to Elvis Presley. He used to make us laugh with his “Elvis has left the building…” impressions and with the videos he’d send us of himself singing along to Burning Love.

More than anything Dad loved to make people laugh and feel good. “Animo con la vida,” and, “No retreat, no surrender,” were his favorite phrases. When we were kids, dad would tickle us so hard we’d have to run out of the house and across the street to feel safe from dying of laughter. He used to tell us made up stories at bedtime about his brother Bernie to make us laugh. He loved to play practical jokes on us like surprising us at school with a dreaded dentist appointment, only to actually take us out for ice cream and a movie.

Dad had a number of hobbies. He made the best carne asada, and he was the kind of guy who just loved to feed people – always adding more and more food onto your plate. Dad loved to have a cold beer with his brothers and friends. He was skillful at using nunchucks and quoting Star Wars. He knew all about Superman, the Super Bowl, and JFK. He loved to be active and could not sit still for more than five minutes; he loved to hit the gym and the bike trails. Dad could run circles around us, and people always thought he was 10 years younger than he was.

Dad was the hardest working and most loving man we’ve ever known. He taught us daily to “expect the unexpected” – nevertheless, it is difficult to imagine our futures without him. He used to tell us to make the most of ourselves and to live our best lives because “people’s dreams die when they do”. However, we know we are Dad’s dreams, so in that way he is still here. We thank him for being our Dad. We will miss him forever, and we will love him forever.