Maria Gonzalez

Maria Gonzalez Rivera, aged 92, passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 28, 2019, in her home in Chester, NY. She was born August 2, 1926, in Caguas, Puerto Rico to Antonia and Raphael Rivera. She came to New York in 1946 to find a life for herself. Working in the Garment District of New York City for over twenty years, Maria was a proud member of the International Garment Workers' Union. A brilliant person, Maria learned to speak and read English from studying newspapers with assistance from a coworker. She met her husband Pablo Gonzalez while still living in the City and the steady pair were married on June 2, 1947. Maria and Pablo went on to have many children and to foster many more throughout their lives. With time, Maria's family grew to be almost enough for all the love that she daily showed them. A fervent lover of learning, Maria constantly instructed and pushed her family toward higher education in order to better themselves and improve the world around them, an ability that was denied to Maria given the state of the country and her own personal circumstances. As a deeply spiritual woman, Maria also instilled the power of faith in her family and strived daily to lead a just and good life. Maria had an amazing memory and could recall events decades in the past with sharp lucidity and clarity. Her talent for understanding other people and her hard-won experience with the hardships of life made her a strong and moral person. She is survived by her daughters Marie, Alma, Nicole, Nydia, and Myra, her son Paul, her cousins, her grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren, who all mourn her passing. Family, friends, and all those who knew her are invited to come and pay their respects, support those aggrieved, and to offer one another the strength to always push forward, as Maria would have urged. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Brendan T. Flynn and Thomas F. Flynn and the staff of Flynn Funeral & Cremation Memorial Centers, Inc. For directions to the funeral home or to offer an online memorial please visit www.flynnfh.com Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Brendan T. Flynn and Thomas F. Flynn and the staff of Flynn Funeral & Cremation Memorial Centers, Inc. To offer an online memorial please visit www.flynnfh.com