Mrs. Gonzales
GIDDINGS—Funeral services for Eleanor Gonzales, 83, of Tanglewood/ Rockdale, will be held 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at St . Ma rgar e t Catho l ic Chur c h in Giddings. Bur ial wi l l follow in the Giddings City Cemetery.
Visitation will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, and from 7 to 8 a.m. Friday, Sept. 5. The family will be present on Thursday from 5 until 7 p.m. at Phillips & Luckey Funeral Home in Giddings.
Rosary will be recited at 6 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.
Eleanor died peacefully surrounded by family in Temple on Aug. 25.
Eleanor was born on April 8, 1942, in Uvalde to Guillermo and Olivia Gonzales. As migrant farm workers, they traveled following the next harvest, picking cotton in Texas, potatoes in Idaho, apples in Washington among many others.
She attended over 17 schools and was always behind in school.
At 18, she met Santos Gonzales at a Mexican dance in Watsonville, California, while he was in the Navy and stationed in Monterey. They fell in love and were married on Nov. 15, 1960.
Education was always important to Eleanor. She finished high school and graduated from Watsonville High School in 1963 alongside her brother, Bill, and sister Sylvia.
The couple had f ive daughters and moved to Texas where Eleanor worked and retired as housekeeping supervisor at Richards Memorial Hospital in Rockdale.
Her greatest joys were nurturing her daughters and supporting her husband of 63 years.
All the “Gonzales Girls” were in band and on the track team.
Rural hospitals had difficulty staying open prompting Eleanor to save the hospital. She hosted fundraisers to raise money including selling raffle tickets, barbecue chicken dinners and hosting a wrestling event, where her daughter was a main attraction.
Eleanor chaired the United Way fundraiser for the hospital. Her philanthropic heart was recognized by the United Way as she had 100% participation from employees for the first time in its history.
Eleanor’s hobbies included painting using the techniques of Bob Ross. She painted over 150 works of art and donated her paintings to numerous charity events and fundraisers.
She was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Rockdale and Holy Family Catholic Church in Lexington upon moving to Tanglewood.
She was a member of La Escuelita in Rockdale and helped it get off the ground.
She enjoyed sewing, canning vegetables, making homemade flour tortillas, gardening and traveling to the casino to play the slot machines.
She was a loving wife and worked alongside Santos in their businesses including S&E Rentals, Gonzo’s Tamales and the Tanglewood Grocery store.
She loved spending time with family, teaching others to paint and watching Mexican movies.
Eleanor’s demeanor was always positive. She was a woman of great faith and courage. She found the best in people, never met a stranger and looked out for everyone else.
While in her late 40s, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). She always said, “I’m going to beat MS, it’s not going to beat me.” She did not allow MS to get in the way of her daily life or the things that were dear to her heart. She accepted each phase of the disease with dignity.
She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Silvia and husband Santos.
Survivors are her five daughters, Diana Gonzales Worthen (Shannon) of Springdale, AR, Lydia Gonzales Andrade (Moises) of Kilgore, Helen Flores (Lupe) of Temple, Maria Tovar of Rockdale and Linda Gonzales- Onofre (Alejandro) of Longview; five brothers, Bill Gonzales (Jova) of Watsonville, CA, Chris Gonzales (Blanca) of Hollister, CA, Richard Gonzales (Christina) of Watsonville, CA, Rueben Gonzales (Pam) of Las Vegas, NV, Hector Gonzales of Rockdale and sister Linda Braun of Rockdale; 16 grandchildren, Veronica Green (Willie), Steven Flores (Karen), Elizabeth Shafer (Will), Jennifer Wells, Reed Woodbridge, Comilino “Reno” Yanes (Jessica), Christopher “Critter” Yanes (Jackie), Laticia Olivarez (Carlos), Connie Flores, Santos Gonzales (Selene), Laura Worthen (Pascal), Eleanor Essary (Samuel), Lindsey Magedoff, Alejandro Onofre Jr. (Vanessa), Antonio Onofre (Carter) and Nicolas Onofre; 29 great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.
Pallbearers include Steven Flores, Elizabeth Shafer, Christopher “Critter” Yanes, Laura Worthen, Alejandro Onofre Jr. and Zavion Burgess.
Honorary pallbearers are Bill Gonzales, Chris Gonzales, Richard Gonzales, Rueben Gonzales, Reyes “Ray” Gonzales and Rudy Gutierrez.
Contributions may be made in memory of Eleanor Gonzales to: Holy Family Catholic Church CCD Classes, P.O. Box 541, Lexington, TX 78947; or National MS Society, P.O. Box 91891, Washington, D.C. 200901891 The family would like to thank Gentiva Hospice and Morada Temple nurses and staff for the great care given to Eleanor. Special thanks to Pam, Matt, Scott, Lou and her personal caregiver, Loretta Brown.