Tomas Luis "Bearhand" Gonzalez Jr.

Tomas Luis Gonzalez Jr.
Tomas "Bearhand"
Born July 20, 1950 - San Antonio, Texas
Died November 28, 2025 - Pflugerville, Texas
Tomas "Bearhand" Gonzalez didn't tiptoe out of this world-he took his final bow suddenly and far too soon, slipping away in the arms of the woman he adored and the son who fought to keep him here. It was an ending as fierce and intimate as the life he lived: wild-hearted, stubbornly joyful, and stitched together with laughter that rolled louder than any thunderstorm.
He came into this world in San Antonio, Texas, the son of Alicia Peña–Gonzalez and Tomas L. Gonzalez Sr., and he spent seventy-five years proving that kindness isn't a weakness-it's legendary. Anyone who met him walked away feeling like they'd just discovered a friend they'd somehow been missing all their life. He could turn a handshake into a lifelong bond in the time it took most people to clear their throat. The man talked, joked, teased, and laughed his way into the hearts of strangers, and he stayed there permanently.
He loved a good fart joke. "Put that in your book!" -Dances With Wolves. He loved people-loudly, consistently, endlessly.
But the center of his world was always Sofia "Many Star," his wife, his "hunny," his partner in everything. If she moved, he followed-not out of obligation, but because life simply felt more right with her within reach. If she worked, he'd show up just to be close, and she'd light up when he walked in. But Tomas didn't just follow her everywhere-they followed each other. Two shadows moving as one. Their love story wasn't written softly; it was lived fiercely, with devotion so obvious you could feel it across a room.
Tomas was a proud U.S. Coast Guard veteran, a Pipeline Locator who could read the land like a language, and a grandfather who refused to answer to anything but "Popo." He fought esophageal cancer twelve years ago with a grit that rattled the doctors and inspired his family. Recovery demanded a warrior-so he became one, because he wasn't about to miss watching his grandchildren grow.
His heritage mattered to him deeply. In adulthood he embraced the roots that had been kept from him, guided and taught by Larry "Running Turtle" Salazar, who bestowed upon him the name Tomas "Bearhand the healer". And Tomas carried that name with the proud, steady presence of a man who finally felt whole.
He lived for Harley-Davidson rides that made the world blur and Slingshot cruises that made it spark. He cherished powwows, camping trips that wrote whole chapters of the family's history, and quiet moments where he passed down Native wisdom to little hands and wide eyes. If he loved you-and he loved many-you felt it with both shoulders.
Tomas leaves behind the love of his life, Sofia Gonzalez, who was both his compass and his constant; his daughter Janie Torrez and her husband Josiah, and their children Tristan, Keira, and Evangeline (Evie); his youngest son JR Luis Gonzalez III and his wife Debra, and their children Katrina, Payton, Elijah, and Noah; his son Aaron Gonzalez and children Shane, Savannah, and Joe; his son Tomas Gonzalez and his children Christopher and Alexis; his stepsons-sons in heart-Heath Garringer, with daughters Lily and Ava, and Jarrod Garringer; his loyal dog Jessie; his siblings Bobby Gonzalez and wife Bobbie, Edna, Nora, and Mario Gonzalez; and an ocean of friends who will be telling Tomas stories for the rest of their lives. Great Grandfather of Taylor, Kynsleigh, Lane, Roman, and Delaney.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Alicia and Tomas Sr, his niece Jessica Gonzalez, his Native brothers Joe Ochoa and Larry Running Turtle Salazar.
Tomas lived big, loved bigger, and left behind a wake of memories impossible to measure. His absence is loud-but so is the legacy of laughter, strength, and tenderness he carved into the people he leaves behind.
He often said "Ishka."
An Apache word meaning "Until we meet again." or "I will see you again."
Not goodbye.
Never goodbye.
And for a man like Tomas Bearhand, who walked this earth with a heart too large to stay silent, Ishka feels exactly right.
The family has requested donations for support through GOFUNDME https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-honor-tomas-bearhand-gonzalez