Mary Magdalena Gonzalez

I was born July 22nd of 1947, which was perfect, because I HATE being cold. My parents were Lorenzo Rodriguez and Felisitas Padilla of Lovell, Wyoming. I was one of nine children: Rafaela Luna, Jessica Guzman, Esther Wormel, Isabel Castro, Vicenta Green, Lorenzo Rodriguez, Emeterio Rodriguez, Erasmo Rodriguez, and Mary Cogswell. Man! That was a mouthful. I spent my childhood in Wyoming, which is probably the reason why I despised the cold so much. As time came and I grew older, I ended up settling down in Wilder, Idaho with Efrain Rodriguez. I started a job working for Crookham Seed Company and was there for many years. While in the meantime raising our four children: Alicia (Louis) Gonzales, Efrain Jr. (Nanette) Rodriguez, Noel Rodriguez, and Rachel Rodriguez. Some of my cherished moments were watching Alicia dominate in sports and beat up the boys. Getting scared watching Efrain Jr. play football, since everyone else was larger than him. Man! He could bob and weave. Seeing Noel tear apart multiple bikes to make his perfect one. Do not get me started on Rachel; she was so competitive that I was scared for everyone else. I remarried to Antonio Gonzalez Jr. in 1984 and separated in 2015. In those wonderful years, we saw the world together. In my wildest dreams, I could not imagine I would see such beautiful places as the ones I saw with Antonio. I got to enjoy my many grand and great grandchildren - an incredible 36, believe it or not - and spent life with never a dull moment. Whether it was for holidays, birthdays, or just a hot cup of coffee (don’t forget the cinnamon roll), I loved having my family and friends close by. There didn’t have to be a reason really; my true happiness was with my family, and on my last day that was who was with me. My Happiness.