 GONZALES, MARGARET Margaret Gonzales was received into the loving arms of Our Lord surrounded by her devoted husband and daughters following a brave battle with lung cancer. Margaret was born in Warrington, England to Elsie and Frank Pratt. She was a part of a large family, having six siblings; Alan, Janice, Lynda, Marian, and Steve with whom she shared a happy childhood in Newton-le-Willows. As a youngster, Marg was a very talented athlete, with track and gymnastics being her favorites. She and her older brother, Alan, represented the Vulcan Gym Club, and during Vulcan Sports day in her village, her family would gather at the finish line to cheer Margaret on to victory in the 100 meter dash among other sporting events. (She would later add softball and bowling to her talents. In 1967, she bowled her way into the finals in New York State and won a trophy taller than her children.) It was her keen intellect, however, that led her to study at Leigh Technical College at the age of 16. It was during this time when she met a handsome young Yank when she was Maid of Honor, and her future husband, Ramon, was Best Man at their closest friends' wedding. And as they say, the rest is history. Ramon said it was love at first sight, but Mom always retorted that he chased her until she caught him. They began dating and were married 18 months later. While stationed in England, they welcomed a beautiful baby daughter, Sandra. Ramon was soon given relocation orders to return to the US, and there they welcomed their second child, Tina. Ramon's military career took the family to many destinations, such as New York, Ohio, South Dakota, and New Mexico. Upon Ray's retirement from the Air Force, they decided to settle in Albuquerque to be close to Ramon's family. Marg embraced the culture and soon made some of the best New Mexican food, and Ray said her green and red chile was the best around. Mom always gave her sister-in-law, Isabel Barboa-Gonzales, the credit for teaching her how to make chile. Every Christmas Eve, Mom served a feast of English trifle, Spanish rice, tamales, posole, and biscochitos, but her red beef and green chicken enchiladas were her grandchildren's favorite. In Albuquerque, Margaret's professional career blossomed. She accepted a position at the University of New Mexico Medical School, and later at Scholes Hall, as an Admin Asst. to the Dean of Graduate Studies. She enjoyed this chapter in her life in that it was challenging as well as interesting, but often said her favorite part was knowing she was returning home to Ray's delicious, hot meals. After her retirement from UNM, she spent a great deal of time attending her grandchildren's school activities, traveling to England, and shopping the sales at Dillard's or Macy's. Mom was the best bargain hunter around, never paying full retail for anything, and often had extra coupon discounts. Her sister, Lynda and Marian, must have inherited this trait. The three of them shopped till they dropped at Cottonwood Mall and their faces beamed as they brought home their discounted treasures. She and Ray also traveled to Hawaii to celebrate their 50th Anniversary, which is where they also celebrated the 25th. They stayed at a lovely hotel on the beach, and Mom really enjoyed hearing the sound of the waves hit the shore as they had a cup of tea on the balcony each evening. Another post-retirement activity was participating in the Albuquerque Founder's Day Parade which commemorates the arrival of the Europeans/Spaniards to the New World. She transported and issued various family Coat of Arms banners, and carried Ramon's family banner in the parade on many occasions. Margaret also volunteered during the Summer Mariachi Festival for several years. She was also instrumental in assisting Ray with visitors from Spain, Japan, and Germany on every visit, when Ray was Chairman of Sister Cities Albuquerque, Spain. Margaret returned home to England almost every summer, often times accompanied by one of her daughters, and grandchild, or both. She remained very close to her family, which included not only her siblings, but numerous nieces and nephews and their families, and made sure we felt close to them, as well. She always looked forward to having her niece, Julie; perm her hair, or playing memory games with her grandnephew, Connor, on the stats of his favorite football or rugby teams. She took such pride in her brother, Steve's, career success with being a great father as his greatest accomplishment. Many English family members traveled to the US over the years. Margaret was proud of being an American, and enjoyed showing her family the beauty and fun of living in the USA. Mom and Dad still recall how her grandniece, Jessica, snuggled on their laps on the train-trip to the Grand Canyon as if she'd known them all her life, and how her nieces, Donna and Andrea's families ate New Mexican chile like locals. In 2011, Marg, Ray, Sandie, Jim, Tina, and JP went on an Alaskan Cruise. Mom was afraid of water, but after the first few hours at sea, her tummy settled down and she said she enjoyed the trip so much that she couldn't wait to go on another. What Margaret was most proud of, however, was the educational accomplishments of her children and grandchildren, and was thrilled when they earned their degrees from UNM. She strongly encouraged education, and supported their goals to study and continue their educations throughout their lives. Her most-used quote was, "No one can take away your education." Margaret battled her illness with grace and dignity, and her love and encouragement will be sorely missed. She was preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Elsie Pratt; her brother Alan; brother-in-law Joe, and son-in-law Jerry (JP). She is survived by her husband, Ramon; her two daughters, Sandra (Jim) and Tina; grandchildren, James (Jami), Rachel (Scott), Heather, and Stephanie; great-grandchildren, Zach, Abby, Elijah, Morgan, Roman, and Kiera; siblings, Janice, Lynda, Marian, and Steve (Anne), and numerous brother and sister-in-laws, nieces and nephews in England and the U. S. The Gonzales Family would like to thank Dr. Quintana and Dr. Liem; as well as her hospice nurses, Barb, Debe, Aladia, and Dina for their loving care. A Funeral service will be held Thursday, December 5, 2013, 11:00 a.m. at FRENCH Westside, with a reception immediately following the service. Please visit our online guestbook for Margaret at www.FrenchFunerals.com FRENCH - Westside 9300 Golf Course Rd NW 505-897-0300
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