Photo courtesy of Angelus Funeral Home - San Antonio
SAN ANTONIO, Texas
Jimmie Gonzalez, Jr. peacefully left to his final deployment on October 24, 2022 at the age of 79. Jimmie was born in San Antonio and was a graduate of Sidney Lanier High School Class of 1961.
He was preceded in death by his father, Jimmie Sr., mother Eloisa Gonzalez, his son, Jimmie III, daughter Diana, siblings: Diana, Guillermo, Maria Luisa and Gabriel. He is survived by his loving wife and best friend, M. Dolores Arredondo Gonzalez whom he thanks for returning him into the house of the Lord, his eldest daughter, Rossana Apodaca and son, Cesar Gonzalez; grandchildren Christina, Michael, Amber Apodaca and Stephanie Crutcher; great granddaughter Arianna, great grandson Armani and siblings, Gloria Medrano (Danny), Rosie Ann Cuellar (Joe), Edward Gonzalez (Susan) and multiple nieces and nephews.
Jimmie joined the Army immediately upon graduation from Lanier High School in 1961 and began his career in electronics as a repairman with the Army Signal Corps. While stationed in Europe, Jimmie took the opportunity to learn and speak French, German, Italian and the Luxembourg dialect. In 1967 he applied for and was selected to attend the Vietnamese language school at Biggs Field, TX in El Paso followed by deployment to Vietnam from December 1968 – March 1972. He was extremely proud of his ability to learn languages and the fact that he could still communicate in most of them. He credited learning languages to his knowledge of Spanish. In Vietnam he served as a team leader and interpreter (Vietnamese and French), team sergeant and as an advisor to the Vietnamese military. His fluency in Vietnamese enabled him to become a vital part in the collection of intelligence information from the local populace and captured Viet Cong.
In 1974 Jimmie transferred to the Military Intelligence branch of the Army and served as an Interrogation Instructor for seven years at the Army Intelligence Center and School at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona. Other key assignments in his career were as: Brigade Intelligence and Security Officer (S2 normally an officer position) where he was instrumental in the combat certification of three Patriot Missile battalions; Intelligence and Security NCO for a Military Community in Rheinberg, Germany; First Sergeant (his favorite position); and his final assignment just prior to retirement as Command Sergeant Major of the 163rd Military Intelligence Battalion at Fort Hood, Texas. During his tenure as First Sergeant and Command Sergeant Major, he felt great pride for the soldiers in his units that repeatedly demonstrated their intellectual abilities, high scores in physical fitness and skills qualifications tests. Soldiers attending leadership schools always finished in the top 10 percent. In June 1990 he predicted to his battalion’s noncommissioned officers that our next conflict would be in the Middle East and not in Europe as expected and so it was in January 1991.
His military awards are: Legion of Merit; Bronze Star with 1 Oak Leaf awarded for his service in Vietnam; Meritorious Service Medal with 1 Oak Leaf; Army Commendation Medals with 2 Oak Leaf clusters; Army Achievement Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with 8 campaign stars; Vietnam Presidential Citation; Vietnam Civic Action Medal; and numerous certificates of appreciation/achievement and was an expert marksman with rifle and pistol. Jimmie felt that the best awards he ever received were from seeing his subordinates (military and civilian) succeed and achieve positions of higher responsibility.
Upon retirement from the Army in August 1990 after twenty-nine years, Jimmie began his civilian life as a private investigator. Later went on as Director of Security of the St. Anthony Hotel, La Mansion del Rio Hotel and the Sheraton Gunter Hotel in downtown San Antonio. After a brief retirement in 1999, he needed something to do and went to work as a part-time bus operator with VIA for 6 years. In 2004, he returned on-call to work part-time, while continuing with VIA, at the Historic Gunter Hotel eventually coming out of retirement and taking the job full time as the Safety/Loss Prevention Manager and later agreed to also manage the Valet Department. He also served for one year as the Director of Engineering at the Gunter Hotel. In 2014, he returned to The St. Anthony Hotel. Jimmie was known to be a jack-of-all-trades, and he believed that there was nothing he couldn’t do and nothing prevented him from undertaking any task. He was also known for his willingness to always lend a helping hand and teach others. Every day Jimmie was able to make the day with his humor and at least one joke a day.
Jimmie was a former member of the Federal Criminal Investigators Association; National Rifle Association; Veterans of Foreign Wars; and the Vietnam Veterans of America – Alamo Chapter 366. He also was instrumental in establishing a security network for downtown businesses getting together and communicating concerns and issues with local law enforcement agencies. Later on there were other networks organized for the Loop 410 and 151 area; 410 – IH10 corridor and the airport region of 410 and Highway 281.
His favorite slogan was, “It’s a great day to be a soldier!” and wants everyone to remember that “Old soldiers never die they just fade away.”
Jimmie was a proud patriot and loved our Nation’s flag.
FUNERAL SERVICES
Wednesday, November 2, 2022
Visitation will begin at 5:00 P.M.
Rosary to be recited at 7:00 P.M.
The Angelus Funeral Home Chapel
1119 N. St. Mary's St.
Thursday, November 3, 2022
Funeral Mass will be offered at 10:00 A.M.
St. Anthony de Padua Catholic Church
102 Lorenz
Interment will follow in
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery with military honors
Read MoreRIP Jimmie, you were a good man to work with. We shared some laughs at the hotel. I remember when I was laid off, you thought you were next and told me that you even told your wife that you may be home more often haha. (sounds like you stuck around there, though, good for you.) RIP
Samuel V
January 28, 2023 | Work
My dear cousin Dolores. Teri and I were saddened to learn that Jimmie had passed. We are so sorry for your loss. Our prayers go out to you and your family, that the Lord is compassionate and gives you the strength to get through these times. With much love, your cousin Gilbert and Teri Gonzalez.
Gilbert and Teri Gonzalez
November 02, 2022
I had the pleasure of working with Jimmie at the St. A hotel. He was such a pleasant person, always smiling and staying positive. He loved tinkering with the radios and taking care of business. Always well dressed, he took pride in how he looked, his work and in his service to his country. He will be missed, my condolences to the family.
Rachel Martino
November 02, 2022 | TX | Coworker
GREAT Man, Brother member in VVA 366 & I worked with him as a Downtown Ambassador for Centro San Antonio. One of a kind. RIP my Brother.
Robert Meade
November 01, 2022 | San Antonio, TX | Friend
He was a wonderful man. He was served in VN where I was born and in the incident he and I had meet and he kept his promise to search for my biological father had never seen. After 3 years we’re found out that my dad has passed away. But Jimmy and Dee have not just says good bye after the results are found. On the contrary they’re accepted me as an adopted daughter in the family and they had gave me a feeling with the love of a parent for daughter, and that feeling for the first time in...
Stacy Huynh
November 01, 2022 | Gilroy, CA | Family
I worked with Mr. Gonzalez in the 90’s at the St. Anthony Hotel. I was a night auditor and he was the security manager and later director of housekeeping also. He did a terrific job. I had a lot of respect for him. I was saddened to see him let go when a new management company came in 1998?,and bring in there own upper management team. RIP.
John O’Shea
October 31, 2022 | San Antonio, TX | Coworker
Rest in Peace dear friend and wonderful neighbor. May the Peace of Christ be with Dee and his family.
Zona and Harold LaField
October 30, 2022 | San Antonio, TX | Neighbor
We lived across the street from Jimmy for many years, and he was a great neighbor. After reading his obituary we realize he was a very humble man also as we weren’t aware of all that he had done for our country even though we knew he served. Jimmy watched over our house, told us of anything suspicious and of possible threats in the neighborhood. We weren’t aware that he was a lifelong expert in security. He made great suggestions for our landscaping. He was all you could ask for a...
Douglas Magill
October 29, 2022 | San Antonio, TX | Neighbor
I remember as a young teenager my uncle Jimmie taught me how to iron clothes the correct way. He said its a called a press iron, so press harder to iron out those wrinkles. He also taught me about aesthetics, how things appear or should look, as he was showing his back yard to me after some redesigning and new landscaping. Oh yes, he also told us a story about how he got startled by a rat in veitnam, only because he thought it was a cat at first, but he said that's how big they were. ...
James Cuellar
October 28, 2022 | Round Lake, IL | Family
