JIMMY GONZALEZ

On Thursday, November 27, 2014, Jimmy Gonzalez, of Pembroke Pines, Florida, passed away surrounded by his wife, Danielle Gonzalez and his daughters, Sofia and Victoria Gonzalez, following a long battle against brain cancer. He was 42 years old. Jimmy was born on February 20, 1972, in Gary, Indiana, to Eduardo and Crispina Gonzalez, hard-working Cuban immigrants. Shortly thereafter, he moved with his family to Hialeah, Florida, where he was raised. He graduated from Miami Springs Senior High School in 1990. After high school, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, in which he proudly served for 4 years, spending most of his enlistment stationed in Okinawa, Japan. After the Marines, he went on to college¿first Miami-Dade Community College, where he graduated with honors, and then Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where he met Danielle. After graduating from Cornell in 1999, he went on to earn his law degree from the George Washington University in 2002. Jimmy was a member of the Florida, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. bar associations. Jimmy and Danielle were married in Nassau, Bahamas in 2004, and then started a life together in South Florida, where they had two beautiful daughters, Sofia and Victoria. Jimmy ran his own family law practice for many years, most recently in Coral Gables, until he was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme (brain cancer) on August 25, 2011. Jimmy endured two craniotomies, two full rounds of radiation, and more than three years of chemotherapy, all under the care of doctors at both Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Florida, and Duke Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. Jimmy never believed that he was sick, or that he would not beat the cancer. Jimmy enjoyed attending church, politics, martial arts, fine wine, running, and all things Star Wars and Star Trek, but most of all, he loved spending time with his family, especially his little girls, with whom he joyfully watched the movie "Frozen" at least 30 times, even while on Hospice care. He is survived by his wife, Danielle, his daughters Sofia (age 3½) and Victoria (age 16 months), his parents, Eduardo and Crispina, and his brother, Eduardo. A visitation will be held at the Landmark Funeral Home located at 4200 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, Florida 33021 on Tuesday, December 2, 2014 from 5:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. with a prayer service at 7:00 P.M. The Funeral Mass will be held at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church located at 701 North Hiatus Road, Pembroke Pines, Florida 33026 on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 at 10:00 A.M., followed by an Interment with full military honors at 1:15 P.M. at the South Florida National Cemetery located at 6501 State Road 7, Lake Worth, Florida 33449. Thereafter, from 3:30 - 7:30 P.M., a Celebration of Life will be held at the family home in Pembroke Pines. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to support brain cancer research. Donations made in Jimmy's honor should be sent to: Ellen P. Stainback, Director of External Relations, Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke, Box 3624 DUMC, Durham, NC 27710. Donations may also be made online by visiting www.cancer.duke/edu/btc, then click "Make a Donation." Arrangements by Landmark Funeral Home, 4200 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, FL 33021 954-989-8220. Please sign the online register book at www.landmarkfuneralhome.com