Eliseo Gonzalez

Eliseo V. Gonzalez passed away on October 27, 2025 after a heroic battle with pancreatic cancer. Eliseo was born in Tempe, Arizona, on November 26, 1965 to Salvador Madrigal Gonzalez and Maria Aurelia Gonzalez.
He grew up in a large family in Scottsdale where he graduated from Coronado High School in 1984. There he took part in many extra curricular activities, including junior varsity basketball and CHANT, an Indian heritage club.
Also he went to trade school for electronics and did boxing at Club Sar, traveling outside Arizona to compete.
After graduating from high school he went to work for his father who owned and operated nurseries in Scottsdale, Tempe and the Salt River Indian Community. The last nursery, Pima Road Nursery, closed in 2005.
He worked for Lowes for several years, enjoying his work in the garden department.
He underwent extensive treatment at the Mayo Clinic. Eliseo waged a valiant battle against his aggressive cancer until he thanked the doctors for their efforts and decided to spend his last days at home. The family is grateful to Doctor Mohamed Bassam Sonbol and to all the doctors who worked so hard to bring comfort and healing to his final days.
Our thanks also to all the friends and the former employees from Lowe's who visited Eliseo demonstrating their true friendship. Also, a special thanks to his brother Alfredo who served as his faithful caregiver from the day Eliseo was diagnosed and treatment began.
Eliseo loved plants, succulents, cacti, flowers, trees, chilis of every sort; he grew, nurtured and took care of his plants like they were his children.
He also had a deep and strong Catholic faith. He regularly attended mass at the Crosier Center. He was always at family rosaries, invariably passing out prayer books and rosaries. By his bedside was a prayer book with hand-written names of people he prayed for. Even in his final days he was praying for others.
Eliseo was preceded in death by his parents Salvador Gonzalez Madrigal and Maria Aurelia Gonzalez, brothers Nicolas and Esteban Gonzalez and sister Mary Medrano. Not to be forgotten are his dogs Roxy, Rocky, Reyna who preceded him in death and his current dogs Namyria and Lady
He is survived by his sisters Josefina Romero, Rosa Muna, Angelina Morgan, Viviana Parra, Olivia Popoca, Margarita Bynum and Aurora Favela and brothers Salvador, Jesus, Antonio and Alfredo Gonzalez and several nieces and nephews and many more relatives. There are also plants in his greenhouse and garden that will also miss his tender and loving care.
A closed-casket viewing will take place on Friday, November 7th, from 7pm to 9pm, with a rosary at 7pm, at Messinger Funeral Home, Mass will be at 10am at the Crosier's Village Chapel, 717 East Southern Ave. Phoenix, followed by burial at Saint Francis Catholic Cemetery, Phoenix.