Ruben Gonzalez Memorial Fund

Dear friends and family,

It is with great sadness the family of Ruben Gonzalez share that he was in a tragic vehicle accident in the early morning on Sunday March 26,2023. Ruben did not survive the accident and has left this imperfect world of ours, a little more imperfect.

Our hearts ache for Ruben, Viviana, their daughter Emma, and Rubens endless circle of family and friends who will never be the same after today. Not just because Rubens infectious laugh sounds a little quieter now, but because he left them with so much love, so many lessons, and endless smiles. Ruben was one of the most thoughtful, patient, and giving humans. On any given day you could find him spoiling his girls, working hard to provide for his family, running errands for those who were in need, bantering with Vivi in the funniest and sweetest way, and lovin on his baby girl Emma. Ruben and Vivi had that unique love that you just knew was special and it was going to stand the test of time, he was her Ruben ❤️ Although the hole that this loss has left his family and friends with will never be filled, we can all help make it feel a little less empty by keeping his memory alive and celebrating him every chance we get. Ruben you are already so very missed beyond measures. We love you.

You can imagine the tremendous amount of financial burden Viviana has suddenly been faced with as a result of losing her life partner and Emma’s daddy. So, please join us in rallying around her and Emma by contributing your support towards the financial hardships that this has placed on them in this difficult time. No donation is too big or small, and anything helps. We thank you in advance for your generosity. ❤️

It’s times like this that remind us all how truly precious life is. From today on, when life feels unfair, impossible, or hard, remember that even on the darkest days, it is still truly a blessing to be in it. Hug your loved ones, be present with them, spoil them, and live for Ruben. Pray for this special family and send all of the healing and comfort their way ❤️

#LiveforRuben

Update #2 of the day:

Hello again to Ruben and Viviana's Family & Friends,

Your generosity has resulted in exceeding the second goal that was set just this morning. Others are continuing to reach out to donate and have graciously requested upping the goal again, to allow for more contributions. At this time, funeral expenses are covered. Any funds exceeding the memorial expenses are now allowing Viviana to save for her and Emma’s future, including the day-to-day expenses mentioned in my update below. Thank you all again for stepping up in SUCH a huge way for this very special family.

-Whitney Dunehew

(A long-time family friend of Viviana and Ruben)

A little update:

Vivi would like to thank everyone for their donations. In a time of such sadness, grief and the unknown, Vivi is also feeling so grateful to have the support system that our small community has shown her and so quickly! The monetary donations hit the original goal set of 10k in under 24 hours. And still, so many of Vivi and Ruben's family and friends (even strangers who didn’t know them personally) want to help and have asked me to increase it so they can continue to donate. It’s such a beautiful thing to watch everyone rally around them.

Your donations will be transferred to Vivi's bank account beginning today, where she will manage the funds being donated. She plans to use them to maintain her portion of contributions for Ruben's memorial as a first priority, and if there is anything extra after the memorial it will be used for her personal expenses that Ruben was the primary contributor towards like rent, utilities, copays for healthcare, missed income from working with her mom in the coming weekends to keep us all fed, and of course most important: anything at all that their daughter Emma needs. This financial help allows her to focus on grieving in the coming weeks and months and in making sure that she and little Emma have access to the professional help they may need to get through this enormous loss that they are facing. Life will never be the same for them, but all of this allows them time to work through what is next without worrying about how they will pay their bills as other means of long-term support works it’s way out.

Again, thank you on behalf of Vivi and Emma, you are all amazing and incredibly generous.

There is also a meal train going on that allows you to bring them dinner or donate a door dash gift card to them if you’re not local. There are still a few spots open to sign up. They’ve got tons of people stopping by, and are so used to being the amazing Birria Boss Team that feeds everyone else. This is our opportunity to feed them ❤️

Meal train link: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/7e7wzm?fbclid=PAAaYM12gLwdKA8GLLLo1gGR6hSHJOeKoaCdDZ-mTbslmqA0wvIkGSX4ukJXE

**If you have already donated and there was any misunderstanding as to what this donation was intended for, that has now been clarified for you, please reach out to me or Maria (Vivi's mom) and one of us can help Vivi organize getting it transferred back to you so that you can reallocate your contributions as you see fit. ❤️ **

Thank you all again,

Whitney Dunehew

(A long-time family friend of Viviana and Ruben)