Mary Alice Gonzalez

Mary Alice Gonzalez was born on April 9, 1939, the eleventh of twelve children. She grew up in a large family and shared a lifelong bond with her youngest brother, Eddie Gonzalez, who survives her and lives in San Antonio, Texas, with his wife, Barbara.

As a young child, Mary had an ear condition that affected her hearing and delayed her speech until she was three or four years old. Once the problem was identified and treated, she caught up quickly in school. She graduated from high school in Edcouch Elsa, Texas in the Valley, and later attended Pan Am Secretarial School, where she learned bookkeeping and shorthand.

In the 1970s, Mary raised her children as a single mother. She worked two and sometimes three jobs to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. She knew how to stretch a budget, and for many years she made tamales to bring in extra income. Through every challenge, her faith in God and the Catholic Church gave her strength to persevere.

Mary was fiercely proud of her children. Strong-willed and determined, she refused to be seen as weak. That strength lives on in the family she loved so deeply.

She is survived by her children John Baran, Patty Baran, and Becky Thibodeau, and by her brother Eddie. Her son Robert Joseph Baran preceded her in death, passing away nearly a year before her in the same month.

Mary will be deeply missed and forever loved.