Arturo Tidalgo Gonzalez

With hearts heavy with sorrow and full of gratitude, we say goodbye to Arturo "Art" T. Gonzalez, who passed away peacefully on July 23, 2025, in Virginia Beach. He was 83 years old and surrounded by his family-the very people he lived his life for.

Art was the kind of man who lived humbly but left an unforgettable mark. He was a fixer-of homes, of gardens, of broken furniture, and broken hearts. If something needed doing, he did it. If someone needed love, he gave it.

He was born in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States with his beloved wife and children in 1989. Their journey took them from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, and eventually to Virginia Beach, where they built a home rooted in love, faith, and family.

Art didn't spend retirement traveling or resting-he spent it raising his grandkids. Family was first in everything he did. He and his wife, Charito, were inseparable-a love story that spanned decades. They were best friends and soulmates, partners in everything. Wherever one was, the other wasn't far behind.

He loved cookouts, gardening, and quiet mornings by the beach. He found joy in simple pleasures-pulling weeds after his mandatory cup of coffee, grilling for his family, and fixing just about anything he could get his hands on. And when it wasn't a broken cabinet or a leaky pipe, it was us-he was always working to make life better for the people he loved.

Professionally, Art served as the Manager of Materials Management at Sentara Leigh Hospital. He brought quiet excellence and integrity to his work every single day, not for recognition but because doing things right mattered to him. He was a proud graduate of the University of Santo Tomas and came from a family deeply rooted in public service, including his brothers, the late Vice Governor Jose T. Gonzalez and Butuan's City Engineer Posoy Gonzalez. Art honored their legacy not through title, but through action-through kindness, loyalty, and steadfast care.

He was a devoted father who often reminded his family, "We'll find a way. We'll always find a way." And he did. Whether that meant working three jobs to support his loved ones or showing up with a quiet presence that made everything feel okay, Art always found a way. If his family was happy, he was happy.

He is survived by his wife and best friend, Charito Gonzalez; his children Ellinor (Jamie) Crawford, Christine (Gabriel) Gonzalez-Cruz, and Arturo (Cynthia) Gonzalez; and his grandchildren Justice, Destinee, Tristan, Emilia, and twins Adam and Ava-who knew him not just as a grandfather, but as a guiding force, a provider, and a safe place to land.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, July 26, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 1396 Lynnhaven Parkway, Virginia Beach, VA 23453. Inurnment will take place at a later date at Princess Anne Memorial Park. Arrangements are being handled by Altmeyer Funeral Home.

Art taught us that love is action. That family is everything. That you don't have to speak loudly to live boldly. And that even in the darkest moments, somehow…we'll find a way.

May he rest now in well-earned peace, and may we carry forward the light he gave so freely.