Raul B. Gonzalez's Obituary
Raul B. Gonzalez was born on July 29, 1948 to Romana Becerra and Juan N. Gonzalez. Unfortunately his father's life was cut short while he was still an infant. However, his mother was blessed to meet and marry Teodoro R. Alvarez who lovingly embraced him as a son. He grew up with nine other siblings who he loved very much. He learned hard work at an early age, as a migrant worker. He loved to see the fruits of his labor. These humble beginnings helped him to appreciate that hard work was a way of life come rain or shine. He was involved in organized sports while in high school, but always with the condition he could not neglect his duties at home. He excelled both academically and athletically in high school. He was very articulate and he graduated with the class of '67 from Southwest High School. He met the love of his life at a dance held in Lytle, Texas. He charmed his way into dancing with Yolanda Contreras, whom he married on February 17, 1968. They were blessed with six children who they worked very hard to raise. He worked 43 years as a steel worker for Trinity Industries, but health conditions led to his retirement in 2011. Raul was a very intelligent man. He was a math wiz; he learned general construction, and applied all these skills where necessary. As an adult, he loved softball and played in several tournaments. He was an excellent teacher, and wasn't afraid to share his knowledge. Tragedy struck on September 12, 1974, when his brother Armando, was killed in a car accident. After the pain and suffering his family members endured, he searched for a reason why. His prayers led to Jehovah's Witnesses contacting him. After agreeing to a study of the Bible, he learned the truth and dedicated his life to Jehovah by water baptism on November 7, 1981. He served Jehovah as faithfully as possible and kept his integrity until his death. He was loving and kind to everyone he met, but when provoked could be a very ornery person. He was a collector of memories and loved to reminisce with whoever was willing to listen. Rudy fell asleep in death on September 24, 2024 with his loving wife Yolie by his side. He is survived by his caring and supportive wife of 56 years, Yolanda "Yolie" Gonzalez, his children Linda Lou McVicar (Scott), Royce Gonzalez., Mary Lou Aldaba (Pete), Orlando Gonzalez (Stephanie), Olivia Estrada (Jerry), Armando Gonzalez and 9 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. His siblings Richard Alvarez (Merlinda), Carolina Salinas (David), Robert Alvarez (Maria), Delia Flores (Ray), Sylvia Lopez (Fred) David Alvarez (Maria) and Sally Henry (Brett).
He was preceded in death by his parents Juan N.
Gonzalez, Teodoro Alvarez, Romana Alvarez, brothers Armando Alvarez, Teodoro Alvarez and numerous aunts and uncles.
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