Bennie M. Gonzales

Bennie M. Gonzales Architect F.A.I.A. was born in Phoenix Arizona on June 11, 1924. He passed away on November 20, 2008, after a long illness, in the loving arms of his wife of 22 years, Diane. He is survived by his wife, Diane Gonzales; a son, Barney Gonzales; a daughter, Bianca Borman and many loving family members, friends and colleagues. Bennie was 84 years old. He will be greatly missed. He touched many people during his lifetime and the many beautiful buildings he designed and paintings he painted are a lasting memory to his wonderful life. After 35 years of running a professional practice in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, winning many national awards and acting as a consultant to some of the largest Architectural firms in the world. He decided to move to Nogales, Arizona, where he spent many summers as a boy, visiting his grandmother and cousins. Bennie had worked on many products in Nogales early in his career, most notably, The Nogales Public Library. Since moving to Nogales, 20 years ago, he found it possible to practice architecture on a smaller scale, still designing homes in Arizona and projects in Mexico. His remarkable resume including such Valley structures as the Scottsdale Conference Center; The masterplan for The Boulders Hotel in Carefree, AZ; the "diamond in the box" National Bank adjacent to the Biltmore Fashion Park; the Ocotillo Branch Library; the Gloria Dei Church in Paradise Valley; the Saint Elizabeth Seaton Catholic Church and Community Center in Sun City; The Saint Pius the X Church in Tucson and many beautiful homes. His former Paradise Valley home, was featured in Life Magazine. He also designed a palace for King Kahalid of Saudi Arabia. In Prescott he designed the Yavapai Junior College. In California he designed the Palm Desert Civic Center; and in Mexico he designed The Los Sabalos Resort and Conference Center Hotel in Mazatlan. Bennie served in the US Coast Guard during World War II and burial will be in Phoenix, AZ, at the Veterans National Cemetery, as were his wishes. A celebration of his life will be announced at a later date.