Honoring the Life of Tom Gonzalez

Dear Friends and Family,

As you may know, we are in the tender process of preparing for Tom’s passing. After putting up one hell of a fight against cancer, we received word from Tom’s doctors at MD Anderson that it was time to stop treatments and shift our focus to providing comfort and care. He has spent the last couple weeks at home in Pensacola, managing increasing pain and lessening energy with his trademark sense of humor and charming smile intact, and with the occasional colorful word or two thrown in for good measure. Tom has relished the simple but profound joys of sharing stories and looking through photos, marveling at his freshest young grand-babies, and just being in the presence of the people he loves best.

Over the past few days, there has been a shift in Tom’s energy, and the call was made for everyone to come together in Pensacola. His amazing partner Cheryl, twin brother Tim, and children Marilyn, Nick, Annie, Mike, and Sara have stayed constantly by his side - joined often by his beloved siblings, mother, in-laws, grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews, close friends, and even more family than one can easily count. Tom has been camped out on a comfy bed in his favorite corner of the screened-in porch, soaking in the sun, sleeping in the shade, and enjoying the breeze as loved ones stream in and out to visit him all day long. Early Wednesday morning, Tom suffered his second stroke. He has been lucid but unable to speak and has lost mobility on his right side. We are not sure what the next few days or even hours will have in store. We are so comforted by the outpouring of prayers and expressions of love and support.

One of the gifts we have in this time of hospice care is that we have been able to talk with Tom about his final wishes and let him guide our plans for how to best honor his memory and care for his remains after he is gone. We have found a burial plot in the same cemetery where his father and other family members are laid to rest. We have met with funeral planners and pulled together cost estimates. While Tom’s children would love to be able to cover all the expenses ourselves, we simply do not have the funds, and much of Tom and Cheryl’s savings have gone to the high cost of medical care.

In love and faith, we are calling on Tom’s wide circle of loved ones to help us raise money for the cost of his funeral and burial services, some of which need to be paid in advance. We deeply appreciate any amount you can offer - every bit helps. And, we especially want to thank all of you so much for the continuous prayers, caring gestures, and comforting words. We know Tom is touched and humbled by the outpouring of love he has received, and we, along with him, are holding all of these words and acts of love close to our hearts.

Gratefully,

The Gonzalez, Maley, Randall, and Cook families