Joaquin Gonzalez

Joaquin Hil Gonzalez was born to Hilbert and Joan Grace Gonzalez on June 8th, 1950, at Queen of Angels Hospital in Hollywood, California. When Joaquin was younger, his favorite pastime was tinkering with things. He loved taking apart machines and electronics to see how they were put together–the family radio, an electric fan, his mother’s calculator–anything was fair game. Needless to say, there were more than a few exasperating moments, but with his natural curiosity and engineer’s mind, Joaquin quickly learned to reassemble the things he dismantled. He eventually got so good that his father nicknamed him “Magic Fingers,” and he became the go-to man whenever the family had something that needed fixing. Joaquin graduated from North Hollywood High School in 1968 and enlisted in the Marines soon after. As fate would have it, he was part of a draft lottery. His number came up—the very last in his group—and he served in Vietnam for two years. In 1977, Joaquin met Char, a match truly made in heaven. Joaquin and Char went on to raise two lovely children, Shawna and Sergio. Joaquin was such an incredible father, that after meeting him, Sergio’s half-siblings Constantino and Marietta expressed their desire to become Joaquin and Char’s God kids. Anyone who knew Joaquin knew that he was the epitome of a committed and loving father and husband. Joaquin was a gentle and giving man, determined to teach his kids about life–paying bills, budgeting, and the importance of education. He encouraged Shawna and Sergio to pursue their passions, and he was present at every football game, basketball game and track meet, without fail. At work, Joaquin was quick to go above and beyond his primary duty of maintaining the function of numerous industrial machines, once building a mezzanine floor and installing a bank of pay telephones just to help out. When Joaquin wasn’t working or focused on his family, he had projects. He built and restored cars, airplanes, motorcycles and boats. Many reading this will have their own personal memory of some favor Joaquin did for them. He was ever a giver of gifts. In fact, he was so consistently generous in sharing his time and energy, that when he needed a break, he took to changing into his sleep clothes right after work, effectively going ‘off-duty’ and becoming “Pajama Man,” as nephew Stanley called him. Another of Joaquin’s nicknames was “Uncle,” a title he earned by investing in the lives of those in his neighborhood community. Whether he gave advice, taught somebody something, or did someone a favor, Joaquin left a legacy of love and leadership in the hearts of countless people, neighbors and strangers alike. Proudly, Joaquin was a loyal servant to God, first and foremost. He and Char joined Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and were re-baptized there in 1984. They learned and shared Fundamentals of Faith and Discipleship Evangelism and used this wisdom to reach out to those in their lives. Most weekends Joaquin could be found running the soundboard for various church ministries, giving his all to make sure the Word of God could be delivered loud and clear. After a rich life and 44 years of loving marriage, Joaquin went home to be with the Lord on May 13, 2022. He is no longer in any pain and is seeing his Savior face-to-face. Joaquin is preceded in death by his mother, father and brothers Jaime and Tony. He is survived by many loving family members, including his devoted wife Char, children Shawna and Sergio, grandchildren Brandon, Trenton, Ayden, and Olivia, as well as his brother Brian and sisters Danita, Marquita and Juanita, and the 85th Street in-laws, nieces, nephews, and great-niece/God-daughter Krystal. Joaquin and Char also developed a family-like relationship with their beloved friends Ray and Nacole, and their children Sienna, Eva, Aja, and Aliya.