Rebecca Ann (Chenoweth) Gonzales

Rebecca Ann “Becky” (Chenoweth) Gonzales was born March 13, 1950 in Artesia New Mexico.  She was welcomed into the Lords arms on Wednesday November 13, 2019 following a short unexpected illness. She was the youngest daughter to Burrel and JoAnn Lyman Chenoweth and the family moved to Albuquerque when Becky was 3 years old. As an adolescent, Becky was involved in the Albuquerque Youth Symphony Orchestra as a very talented violinist.  She had a passion for music and could pick up any instrument and play by ear, she was a talented, self-taught guitarist and pianist. Becky started her ambitious career at Rhodes as a sales representative before attending Business College.  She utilized her schooling to earn a promotion at Rhodes becoming the department buyer for women’s fashion clothing.  Walking into Rhodes one day, she was stopped by an Albuquerque Journal photographer who asked to take her photo for a story about a winter day in the desert.  Becky’s photo was an 8x10 and took up the majority of the front page with her beautiful smile. At the age of 17, she met a young man named Ray Gonzales who was forced (happily forced) to share a seat with her on the bus for a school related trip.   This was the beginning to one of the most wonderful love stories ever lived.   Becky graduated from Valley High School with a scholarship in music to attend Oral Roberts University in Tulsa Oklahoma.  (Becky’s children will tell you the following decision was one of the best decisions she ever made.  Ray and Becky’s love for one another was a unique love that can’t be described accurately with words, it would be significantly understated.)  She decided to stay in Albuquerque and married Ray Gonzales in June of 1969 while he was home on leave before heading to Vietnam.   They were separated for 19 months and they wrote letters to one another every day until Ray returned home safe in the fall of 1970.  They bought a little house in the North Valley of Albuquerque just a few miles between each of their parent’s homes.  They lived there 5 years before they found their forever home of 40 years on the west side of Albuquerque.  Becky was a stay at home mom for her 3 children until her youngest started Kindergarten.  She returned to the work force and began her career with Ryder Truck Rental out of the Juan Tabo Firestone Store Ray opened in 1986.  Becky was also working for Ray part time as a book keeper until one day she decided to plug a phone line into a vacant phone jack and discovered Ray had set up an independent phone line for the “Ryder One Way” Truck Rentals in the Firestone Store.   Becky quickly became the #1 Ryder Dealer out of all the Firestone Stores in the Nation.  After 2 years she decided she wanted to open her own business that would work around her kids sports, school schedules, and the addition of one more member to their family.  Cesar Molina was a young man who moved from El Paso to attend UNM, 200 miles away from his family.  Becky opened up her home and gave him the love of a mother while he attended school in Albuquerque those 4 years. Becky owned her rental truck business, for 3 years before Ryder Truck Rental requested she work for them as a permanent employee.  She was promoted several times within the Ryder Organization and at the same time she and Ray moved into Becky’s parents’ home to assist them as they entered their Golden Years.  For the next 3 years they lived down in the North Valley again.  Once her parents passed away, Ray and Becky moved back into their own home where they celebrated many holidays with their children and grandkids as now she was the matriarch of her own family.   Becky was lovingly known to her grandkids as Gramommie and Gram-ma-mommie. Becky finished out her career in 2008 when she decided she didn’t want to relocate her family to Denver Colorado.  During her 11 wonderful years of retirement she rediscovered her artistic talent.  She enjoyed painting pictures of churches, adobe homes, teaching painting lessons along with playing her guitar, piano and violin.  If that was not enough, when her children had grown and left the home she had Ray build her another room, so she could surround herself with vibrant colors in a room full of her flowering plants.  Since she was retired, she had the freedom to visit her children and grandchildren in Rio Rancho, San Diego and later in Phoenix.  Her son and son-in-law are both football coaches and she would attend every game she could regardless of the weather, she was there cheering them on. Becky celebrated her 50th Wedding Anniversary this past summer where many friends and family traveled to celebrate with her and Ray. She is survived by her loving husband of 50 years Ray Gonzales, daughter Tami Gonzales-Howes and husband David Howes, son Daniel Gonzales and wife Sandra, youngest daughter JoAnna Salazar and husband Bobby and son adopted by love, Cesar Molina and wife Isela. Grandkids, Cailon Bailon, Cole Forsythe, Clarissa Molina, Jake Forsythe, Hailey Howes, Daniela Molina, Joshua Howes, AriAnna Salazar, Cesar Molina Jr., Chloe Gonzales, Elena Salazar and Abby Gonzales.  God-Children,  Laura Posivak, Tirzeh Gonzalez, Joey Gonzalez, Tomás Contreras, Patrick Myers, Jonathan Garcia, and Jacob Garcia. Sister, Marilu Flaherty, brother Donald Chenoweth, and many, many loving family members, co-workers and life time friends.

We would like to thank the many people who have provided meals for the family during this time.

Services will be held on Monday December 2, 2019 at St. Josephs on the Rio Grande Catholic Church 5901 St. Josephs Drive NW 87120.  Rosary at 8:15AM and Catholic Mass at 9AM.  Reception to follow the Mass at the church.