Gonzalo Hernandez

I´m so happy that I can wish my friend Gonzalo Happy Birthday. It meant so much to him to remember me and all his family and friends on their special day. God bless His Family & Friends with funny and precious memories of a blessed man.

So hard to believe that Gonz is gone. Such a kind, caring man. So many of us will miss his yearly birthday greetings. Very few people are that thoughtful. Rest in peace friend.

Saying that Gonzalo was a nice guy seems like an understatement. I'm going to miss his personality and humor. He was the first person that I met at FEMA. He took me under his wing, was a great mentor and showed me the best places to eat in DC. He loved his family, job, and made an excellent flan. "Gods thoughts are not our thoughts."

Such a kind and caring man . It was a joy to be around him and to see how much he loved and adored you.
Love you
Alma

I worked with Gonzalo at the Red Cross. Such a dear person, who always celebrated others and empathized with the suffering. My deepest sympathy for Gonzalo's family. What is remembered lives.

Gonzolo was one of the kindest people I've met in my work at FEMA. His passion for helping disaster survivors was evident and he spoke with a compassion that inspired me and others to do our best to everyday. I am saddened to hear that he passed, and I will miss having him reassure me everyday with his gentle manner. I hope his family can find some peace and comfort in this time, and everyday missing him and his memory.

A wonderful and passionate colleague at FEMA. Gonzalo will be truly missed. Whenever I emailed him or needed support on a project, he was willing and would also provide additional sources. I was shocked to hear of his passing, but I pray God be with his family.

My first memory of Gonzalo is at a Red Cross orientation meeting for new volunteers in 2005. He was a fast talker with an accent, and he had a bunch of experience to share and a lot of mentoring for Red Cross responders to Disaster events. He was a happy, lovable, and wise person with many years to expose to red crossers. He was a giving person and he loved to get jobs done. Eventually, we all met his lovely wife and they made a beautiful couple and he had a great story to share about being on a cruise boat too where he met and married, Lonnie. Gonzalo is especially remembered for his birthday greetings that I never stop sending when he left the American Red Cross and went to FEMA.

Gonz was one of the kindest people I've ever met! I trained me on a few things when I began my tenure at Red Cross in 2014. I'll never forget him and his kindness. -Joe Miletti

Gonz you´re gone but not forgotten
It was pleasure knowing you
You will always be my friend
God Bless you and your Family

My deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time. It was never a dull moment working with Gonzalo, from the days at Maryland Emergency Management Agency and then again at FEMA. He will be missed. Rest in Pease my friend.

Lonnie and family, I am so sorry for your loss. May God comfort you all. Gonzalo was a wonderful person. He was always pleasant and ready to help. I worked with him at Red Cross. Even though I have been retired for over a decade he would still text me on my birthday! I will certainly miss hearing from him, but I thank God for the privilege of having known him.

Gonzalo was a light. He would always make me smile whether it was a passing conversation in the office or a funny photo or image on the screen during one of many meetings. He had a way of putting everyone around him at ease and lifting their spirts and boosting morale. I will deeply miss my friend and colleague!

Gonzalo had a huge heart and passion to improve FEMA for survivors. I was inspired by his love for humanity. We worked together in the National Response Coordination Center where he played a key role in administering programs to support disaster survivors known as Individual Assistance and Mass Care. Gonzalo led by his presence, his deep care for others, and his personal warmth during crisis. He will be in our hearts and our future work.
Carla Gammon

In loving memory of a wonderful, compassionate, and funny person. I will miss you.

I thoroughly enjoyed working alongside Gonzalo, and send my sincere condolences to his family and co-workers during this very sad time. Gonzalo was a hard and reliable worker, and a super team player. He had a wonderful spirit of friendliness, good humor, cooperation, and kindness. We could tell he loved his family very very much from his warm and humorous stories. Thank you Gonzalo my friend for reaching out to me several times since I left FEMA so abruptly back in late 2021, due to a medical issue. Rest in Peace amigo!!

It was a great pleasure to work with Gonz at the American Red Cross. Gonz was very helpful to me as I navigated the rules. You could see and feel that Gonz new the Lord . He would help all his coworkers and even strangers. It grieved my heart to hear of his passing . We should all try to be like Gonz. Blessings and strength to his wife and family.

When Clara Barton led those relief wagons out to the Antietam Battlefield on a hot September Day in 1862, someone like Gonzalo had to have been sitting next to her. You cannot do that kind of work without Gonzalos. I know I could never have done it. Gonzalo turned the idea of helping people into action: food, shelter, clothing, medicines, you name it. If there was a physical need, he would find a way. But more important than the things people could touch, was the way he touched people. Whether they were the families being helped, or the wonderful Red Cross Volunteers out with him at 2:00 a.m. on a dark winter´s night; he glowed with sincerity and passion that gave everyone peace and hope. I worked with "Gonz" for over a decade starting with Y2K and spanning thousands of disasters. Usually, 3 per day and somehow always more on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Gonzalo knew that each single-family-fire was their Hurricane Katrina. He treated them that way. I always told our Volunteers that they were Clara Barton and empowered them to do what Clara would do. They always did! But they could not have "been Clara Barton" without Gonzalo beside them. God bless Gonzalo and his family. I know that Lonnie and his daughters gave him the support needed to make his great contributions to the world. God bless all the Red Cross Volunteers who will continue his legacy. Sincerely, Kevin Burr, ARC Emergency Services Director 1999 - 2011.

I am Gonzalo's sister-in-law (married to his brother, Carlos). Gonzalo was a one-in-a- million kind of guy. Compassionate, kind, funny and blessed with a servant's heart. Our family appreciates every single kind word and memory you have shared about our sweet Gonzalo. He was so loved and will be dearly missed.

Gonzalo was a man full of life, joy, and energy, someone who never let cancer defeat him. With his love for life and unwavering spirit, he overcame it with remarkable strength. He was always a loving uncle, someone who made sure to remember the special dates in all our lives and who always had words of encouragement to share. I will miss him dearly, but I am so grateful to God for allowing me to see him in his final year and to embrace him with all my love. Now, he rests in peace, and I take comfort in knowing that he is with my dad, watching over all of us.

Gonzalo made a difference in people's lives, just by being his unique self! He exuded joy and encouragement, which he shared so liberally with his colleagues. I was a colleague of Gonzalo in FEMA, and I can say he was always the first to post a kind word in our group chat, send best wishes for a holiday or someone's birthday, or extend a congratulations. His dedication to his work and bringing his best self in his engagement with others was an inspiration. Gonzalo will be missed greatly, but never forgotten. My funniest memory of Gonzalo is trying to help him build a job aid for his sheltering report and how amazed I was at how he managed each detailed step in his head and how difficult it was to follow him in trying to get it down in writing! We shared some laughs, and he was very patient with me in that project.

My condolences to the family. I had the pleasure of working with Gonz at the Red Cross he was always kind, compassionate, and community leader.

In Loving Memory Gonzalo Hernandez, the best brother, most caring friend, and selfless person I have ever met in my lifetime:

Once in an eternity, a star is born, in a lifetime it gives us its light; once in an eternity comes the light that in a lifetime illuminates and warmth the soul of mankind; once in an eternity your life was lived Gonzalo as in your lifetime you contributed to the well being, safety, and betterment of millions of earthly hearts...

Once in an eternity your bless fully life-sustaining existence faithfully sustained and enriched the hearts, souls, and spirits of the desolates, poor in spirits, and most fragile of humanity; once in your eternity, Gonzalo, you humanely found the darkest place in life to immediately brighten it with the warmest and most welcoming smile a man could ever had; and like the real star that you always were Gonzalo during your celebrated life time, you consistently clothed others with your exceptionally genuinely soft, gentle, caring, sustaining, inspirational, sheltering, protective, and life giving light and love.

Beloved brother and friend, thanks to the gently light of your existence, a countless number of fragile souls, downcast spirits, and needy lives are living betters lives, paying forward your virtuously caring and lovingly sustaining life!

Gonzalo, I for one, thank you dearest brother and most caring friend for your exemplary life, impactful kindness, and selfless sacrifices on behalf of peoples that you didn´t have a chance to meet and know.

Thank you Gonzalo for being your brother´s keeper, a salt and a light of the earth, an exemplary friend to the desolates and needy, and the best husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle, cousin, humanitarian, person, and most consummate professional of your eternity and lifetime! Until we meet again dearest brother and most caring friend on the other side of eternity!

Thank for everything Gonzalo, and for having shared your preciously sustaining light during your exemplarily caring lifetime!

Grace, Mercy, Compassion, Peace, Blessings, and Love brother!

Lovingly,

The Rev. Marcos A. Castillo
Clinical Chaplain
Police Chaplain
Hospice Care Chaplain

I met Gonz at the Red Cross where he and my Mom (Carolyn) worked. He was such a wonderful, jovial, and kind person. It was always a joy to see and talk with him. He always impprted such great nuggets of wisdom wrapped in his humourous delivery. Our deepest condolences to his family. Rest easy my friend.

The first day I met Gonzalo at EMI- I felt like I met the rest of his family. The love he had for Lonnie and his children was as deep as the love for the humanitarian he was and his work with Red Cross and FEMA. Thank you for showing me we can do it all Gonzalo, I will forever think of you and smile. Much comfort and love to your entire family in the days ahead.

My first time tasting Flan was while I was detailed to MCVCS front office and Gonzalo made it for the holiday party it was the best and I have been eating it ever since.

I met Gonzalo when I was assigned to FEMA for a few weeks in late 2024. Gonzalo's friendliness, humor, and kindness were quickly revealed to me and I felt uplifted after every interaction with him. His willingness to help anyone he could and his general good nature will be remembered.

I met Gonzalo through work with the American Red Cross while he worked at FEMA. Gonzalo was an incredible humanitarian and human being. He showed up everyday with a smile and a desire to do good. Disaster response is always stressful and seeing him always lifted some of the anxiety and stress. Rest well Gonzalo.

Throughout my 14+ years @ ARC, every interaction with Gonz reflected his passion and dedication to serving others. He had a true heart to serve and to help. My thoughts & prayers are with the family.

I remember Gonz from my many years at Red Cross. He was a bright light and always had a smile on his face. Rest in peace, my friend.

Gonzalo was and will remain a steadfast champion for self-improvement and especially improving the lives of others. His joy was always on display. His sacrifice for strangers, for his friends, and for his family was a constant. Compassionate, warm hearted, funny, trustworthy, dependable and honest. Gonzalo, I will miss you dearly and certainly miss those out-of-the-blue "good morning, have a great day" messages. My life is enriched having had you as a friend, even for the short times we shared.

I´ll always cherish the memory of working on the staff directory. Everyone was a bit hesitant to share their photos, a little shy about putting themselves out there. But not Gonzalo. When I walked over to his desk, I asked him for his picture, and with that warm, infectious smile that has a way of lighting up any room, he simply said, "Here´s a photo of my good side." It was such a small moment, but it spoke volumes about his kindness and generosity of spirit. Gonzalo was always there with a smile and words of encouragement, effortlessly brightening the day of everyone around him. His presence was a gift, and it´s something I´ll never forget.

When I met Gonzalo in the halls of FEMA, I knew immediately that I'd found a kindred spirit and a true friend, despite the fact that there were three decades of difference between us. Imagine my surprise when I discovered this wasn't just true for me--but that he'd known and been friends with my father during their mutual work for the American Red Cross, back when I was just a baby! The sheer delight in the world and in other people that Gonzalo brought with him every single day was a balm to his coworkers, especially during difficult and busy disaster times. His dedication, steadfastness, and ability to find glimmers of joy will forever stick with me. Sending so much love to Lonnie, Lindsay, Lainie, and all the grandkids--he talked about you with such exuberant joy and love.