Obits
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Gonzalo Rico Ruiz, our beloved patriarch whose life was a testament to resilience, tireless work and profound love for his family and the earth, passed away peacefully on Sept. 27, 2025, in Kelseyville, California, surrounded by his loving family. He was just 11 days shy of his 98th birthday.
Gonzalo was born on Oct. 8, 1927, to Florentino Rico Mendoza and Nicolasa Ruiz Rodrigues in La Rinconada, Michoacán.
Gonzalo grew up during a time when the echoes of the Mexican Revolution and the devastating Cristero War were still felt, and when the old systems of Hacendados (wealthy landowners) exploiting peasant and indigenous labor still persisted. As a young boy, Gonzalo and his father worked for one such Hacendado at the Hacienda de Irapeo, caring for sheep and learning the hard lessons of the land.
This lack of opportunity meant he never learned to read or write, yet these barriers never once stopped him from accomplishing all he did in his life. At the heart of his enduring life was his beloved wife, Maria de Jesus Hernandez Cazarez (“Chucha”), with whom he shared an extraordinary and unbreakable bond for 78 years.
In the early 1950s, Gonzalo sought a better future and came to the United States through the Bracero Program. He faced immense challenges being separated from his family and being so far from home, spending days toiling in the fields of the Imperial Valley, Indio, Southern California, and Salinas, harvesting cotton, lettuce, tomatoes and other crops. He endured the exploitation common to the program, spending countless hours using the now-banned, agonizing short-handled hoe.
His great triumph came in 1960. Through Mexico's land redistribution program (ejidos), Gonzalo became an ejidatario (landowner) in Pino Real, Michoacán. He moved his family there and built their home, spending the best years of his life in this quiet mountain village. It was here that he truly flourished, nurturing the land he fought for and raising his large family.
Gonzalo was a masterful farmer, cultivating maize, beans, garbanzos, wheat, squash, onions and avocados. He also harvested sap from the pine trees on his land to sell for use in cleaning, anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and other products. As a devoted beekeeper, he managed colonies that produced the most delicious honey.
Together with his wife, “Chuchita”, they owned and worked the village molino (mill), where every day in the early pre-dawn hours, the women of the village would bring their nixtamal to be turned into masa for their tortillas.
Despite his lack of formal schooling, Gonzalo was a passionate environmentalist and a dedicated civic leader. Serving as the Ejido Commissariat, he fiercely advocated and fought to minimize environmental impacts in Pino Real. He courageously resisted logging projects and the deforestation of his mountain village, driven by a profound desire to conserve the land, trees, and water for generations to come.
Gonzalo was a man of firm convictions and deep emotional reserves. He was known for his stubborn will and a loud, thunderous voice that commanded respect and attention. Growing up in a demanding era where emotions were rarely expressed with words like "I love you," his affection was instead demonstrated through tireless actions and unwavering provision.
Every ear of corn he grew, every bag of masa he milled, and his land conservation efforts were all a tangible expression of his profound commitment to his family. His hard work was his devotion.
Gonzalo was preceded in death by his cherished wife, Maria de Jesus, and his son, Gonzalo.
His legacy of strength, devotion and hard work lives on through his nine surviving children: Jeronimo, Cruz, Carmelo, Guadalupe, Maria, Martin, Amalia, Rosa Maria and Mario.
He was the proud grandfather to 33 grandchildren, 33 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Gonzalo Rico Ruiz will be returned to his final resting place next to his wife, Maria de Jesus, in the earth he loved and protected in Pino Real, Michoacán.
His life story is not just a family history; it is a powerful piece of Mexican and American history, a testament to what one man can achieve through sheer will and an unshakeable dedication to his family.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
When John David Portner was a teenager in Ramsey, New Jersey, he spent many cherished weekends and vacations with his family at a cabin along a rambling fishing stream in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. It was there that his father taught John to fly fish and, along the way, to find joy in the beauty of nature.
At Ramsey High School, where he graduated in 1967, John was a solid student and a good athlete — winning the New Jersey state high school wrestling championship in his weight class. Later he graduated from Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York.
Yet, John was a teen of the ‘60s and the free-spirited adventure and social rebellion it promised. After a few semesters he decided to leave college and head west.
In 1972 he visited San Francisco, fell in love with the city and decided to make it his home. He found a job driving a taxi for the San Francisco Mass Transit Authority and moved into a small apartment. He found he enjoyed the job and the constant variety of the passengers passing through his cab. The pay was good and in his off-time he began learning to play the guitar, write some music and explore his interest in art. A job that once looked somewhat temporary became a 40-year career.
On vacations, John took trips north into California wine country and was drawn back to the love of nature planted inside him by those long-ago trips to the fishing cabin in the Catskill Mountains.
Then in 2012, as retirement approached, he discovered Clearlake and purchased a home there. He loved the town and the surrounding mountains as well as his many friends in the community.
He would live there for the next 13 years, until his death from metastatic skin cancer on Aug, 19, 2025 at a treatment center in Roseville, California.
John loved living in Clearlake, taking part in community activities and civic committees and serving as a substitute teacher in local schools. Inspired by the beauty of Lake County, he created hundreds of landscape paintings. He also wrote many songs and played music with fellow musicians. In 2023 he recorded a CD of original songs for friends and family, on which he played guitar and sang.
John was born in Aurora, Illinois, in 1949, the third of five children of Robert E. Portner and Marjorie (Stolp) Portner. When he was in elementary school, the family moved to Iowa then in 1963 to Ramsey.
John is survived by three siblings: Christifer F. Portner (Patricia), Allentown, Pennsylvania; Mary C. Hobbs, Franklin, Indiana; and Nancy E. Budai (Doug), Grosse Pointe, Missouri; along with eight nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a first-born brother, Robert E. Porter, Jr., who died at the age of three.
John was cremated, as per his wishes, and will be laid to rest in a private family burial in Aurora, Illinois at a later time.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Timothy Edward Gonsalves was called home on Sept. 22, 2025, at the age of 68. He passed peacefully at his home in Winters, California, surrounded by his family.
He was born in Woodland, California, on Oct. 14, 1956, to Rudolph Gonsalves and Margie Gonsalves, who have both preceded him in death.
Timothy was a motivated man always looking to improve anything he could. Eventually starting Performance Glass in Santa Rosa, California, where he was able to mentor many young people, giving them the tools to have their own successful careers in the glazing industry.
He was a very active man throughout his life. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, hiking, mountain biking and even had his pilot’s license. He logged many hours flying his Mooney airplane taking trips alongside his father who was also a pilot. It is his family’s hope that they are flying high together once more and fishing in the most beautiful waterways that the afterlife has to offer.
Timothy has been preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Randy, Bill and Stormy; his sister, Marie; and his Best Friend, Don Stranathan.
He leaves behind his three children, Justin Gonsalves, Sheridan Gonsalves and Aimee Gonsalves; his five grandchildren, Bailey, Haydon, Maliya, Garrett and Adelynn; his brother, Mark Gonsalves; his sister, Delorace Falk; his daughter-in-law, Brenda Gonsalves; his son-in-law, John Chavez; as well as countless friends and extended family members.
A celebration of life is being held at the Saralee Barn at 1996 Linwood Ave., Santa Rosa, on Oct. 14 from 2 to 5 p.m. This event is open to all friends and family.
“The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway.”
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