CURRICULUM VITAE
Francisco Javier Gonzalez Murguia
August 4th, 1926 – August 25th, 2011
Born and raised in Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico in 1926, Javier was one of a family of 8 children. He always showed an interest in aviation, and at age 18 joined the Mexican Air Force. After completing his service, he enrolled in the University of Guadalajara, where he studied and graduated with his degree in Civil Engineering.
My father built his first home in the “Country” neighborhood of Guadalajara in an area now know as Providencia, then a distant, growing suburb of the city, which has now become part of the thriving metropolis of Zapopan.
Around this time he met my mother, Rebecca Nava Cortez, and the two courted for several years before marrying and then emigrating to the United States. The newlyweds arrived in Los Angeles, CA. and with the help of Javier’s older brother Antonio, they set up house and lived in the same Silverlake neighborhood for over 55 years.
Javier not only had to learn a new language (English) but also had to pass the California State Exam for Civil Engineering. He took classes in English and then studied and successfully passed the state exam, earning him his title of California Registered Civil Engineer.
At about this time Rebecca and Javier decided to start their family. First arrived Martha Cecilia Gonzalez, followed by Sandra Esther Gonzalez, Francisco Javier Gonzalez Jr., Jorge Ernesto Gonzalez, Luz Alicia Gonzalez and lastly Miguel Angel Gonzalez.
For the next several decades Javier worked diligently to provide for his family, which never went without. Aside from a strong network of friends and family, the Gonzalez family regularly took in drive-in movies at the Floral Drive-In Theatre, frequent visits to McArthur and Griffith parks and The Huntington Botanical Gardens, as well as annual road trips to Guadalajara. All of these experiences provided great entertainment and educational opportunities for the family. They helped mold the accepting and giving character of the Gonzalez family.
Javier retired in 2001, and spent more time around the house where he diligently helped Rebecca in her garden. He occasionally complained about the garden work, which kept him physically active and grounded. He took on the occasional engineering side job, which also helped him stay mentally alert. He also worked with his sons George and Frank, providing a mentoring and supervisory hand, along with his Registered Civil Engineer (RCE) stamp.
Javier was diagnosed with late stage colon cancer in September of 2010 and passed away at his daughter Alice’s home in August of 2011.
He will be greatly missed and there will be a vast void in the universe due to his absence. He was loved and diligently cared for by his family until the end.
We’ll Miss You Papi.
HASTA LUEGO
por
Corina Perez
Javier….
Gracias por tus sonrisas…tu sabiduria…..tu andar despacio por la vida.
Vivir con dignidad hace el hombre…un gran hombre fue tu ser.
Esos ojos transparentes….el reflejo de tu alma…..los voy a extrañar.
En cualquier lugar que estés, estas mejor que cualquiera de nosotros,
que aun adamaos tropezando queriendo aprender
lo que con tanta gracia hiciste…vivir.
Un “hasta luego”…un “te alcanzare”….un abrazo profundo donde quiera
que estés!
Te ama,
Corina
UNTIL NEXT TIME
by
Corina Perez
Javier….
Thank you for your smiles….your wisdom….your walking slowly through life.
Living with dignity makes the man….and a great man
shown through your existence.
Those transparent eyes……mirrors of your soul……I will miss them.
In whatever place you be…you are better there, than we are here
constantly stumbling through our search to learn
what you did with such grace….live.
A great “Hasta Luego”….an “I’ll Catch Up With You Soon”…
a great last hug…wherever you may be!
I love you,
Corina
I am standing upon the
seashore. A ship at my side spreads her
white sails
to the morning breeze and
starts for the blue ocean.
She is an object of beauty
and strength.
I stand and watch her
until at length
she hangs like a speck of
white cloud
just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says: “There, she is gone!
“Gone Where?
Gone from my sight. That is all.
She is just as large in
mast and hull and spar as she was
when she left my side and
she is just as able to bear the load of
living freight to her
destined port.
Her diminished size is in
me, not in her.
And just at the moment
when someone at my side says”
“There she is gone!” There are other eyes
watching her coming, and
other voices ready to take up
the glad shout: “Here she come!”
And that is dying.
- Henry Van Dyke
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