Jose Gonzales

Jose (Joey) Luis Gonzales Obituary Joey went peacefully to be with the Lord on Wednesday, June 21, 2017. He was born in Toppenish on December 21, 1963 to Lidia and Tomas Gonzales. As a 1982 Wapato alumnus, he enjoyed his career as a preschool teacher at EPIC Head start. Joey was a family man. Growing up, he especially loved spending time with his many cousins who would come spend summers in Washington. Through his work, he met many lifelong friends and loved going on lunch and movie dates with his coworkers, Roger Luttrell, Paul Valdez, Jeanette Mendoza-Nishi, Alice Deleon and late Estevan Miranda. He was everyone’s friend and always found the laughter in each moment. Not one person who entered his life went without a specific, silly nickname. As a young adult, he worked at Inland Fruit where he met Mona Miranda of Wapato. They were married in 1988 and together had their four children. He took pride in his children and more so in his grandchildren, Dario, Grace, Isaac and Matthew. He was a diehard Seahawks fan and made fun of anyone who wasn’t. In his early years, he worked at Radio KDNA with his compadre Gabriel Martinez which enhanced his love for music, you could always rely on Joey to name the artist and name of any song. He was survived by his siblings Jesse Gonzales of Wapato, Roger (Laura) Gonzales of Centralia, Anne Farias of Wapato, Mary, Sonia and Rosa Gonzales of Wapato; along with his children, Rhiannon Monique and Josette Nichole Gonzales of Yakima, Rochelle (Austin) Cleem of Selah, and Tomas Joseph Gonzales of Wapato; as well as his 4 grandbabies. He was preceded in death by his mom and dad, his siblings Pepa Herrera, Guillermo (Willie) and Robert Gonzales, his father-in-law Domingo Miranda, and closest cousin and compadre, John Rodriguez. Joey’s service will be held on Wednesday, June 28, 2017. The services will include a viewing of the body from 10am until 1pm and a Celebration of Life service from 1pm-2pm at Valley Hills Funeral Home in Wapato. Reception to follow at the Filipino Hall in Wapato until 4pm. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Jose Gonzales, please visit our flower store.