Lois Carter Gonzalez

GONZALEZ, Lois 85, of Santa Barbara passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 20, 2014, at 3:25 p.m.. Joe, her loving husband of 68 years, along with her daughter, Janette, were by her side, holding her close when the Lord called her to Him. A devoted and loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother, aunt and sister, Lois was an inspiration to all who knew her. She was a beautiful example of the type of person we all should try to be: kind, unselfish, compassionate and caring. She always had time to share a cup of coffee and the advice she offered would send each person away feeling better about themselves and the world around them. Lois was born in a houseboat on the White River, near Olyphant, Arkansas, October 9, 1928. She was the 9th child of Charles and Oma Lou Carter. The family later moved to a 500 acre farm in the same area of Arkansas. Lois loved living on the farm and enjoyed attending school in a one room school house that was a short distance from their farm. She had plenty of brothers and sisters to take care of her, and was close to all of them. At the age of 14, Lois moved to the Chicago, Illinois area where she worked as a waitress, while attending high school. Shortly after graduating, she met, and fell in love with, a dashing young man by the name of Joe Gonzalez. Following a simple wedding ceremony at the Cook County courthouse, Joe and Lois lived in Chicago for the next five years. In 1951 they decided to move to the west coast and settle in the beautiful city of Santa Barbara, California. Lois and Joe had four children, Raymond, Linda, Steven and Janette. Lois loved being a housewife and mother, as she watched her children grow up in the beach town atmosphere. Once her children were attending the various local schools, Lois decided to go to work for General Telephone. Her ever friendly voice greeted and assisted endless business and residential customers as she performed her "dial "0" for an operator" duties. Lois enjoyed her employment at GTE and retired after 23 years. The last living immediate Carter family member, Lois was preceded in death by her father and mother Charles and Oma Lou, sisters Elsie, Dorothy, Dolly, Cathelena, and Edith, along with her brothers Oscar, Roy, Ralph and Lonnie Carter. Lois is also now reunited with her loving children Raymond, Linda and Steven Gonzalez who, along with our Lord Jesus Christ, joyously welcomed her into heaven. In addition to her husband, Joe, and daughter, Janette, Lois is survived by four grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. The family will have a viewing from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. on Friday, May 30, 2014 at Welch-Ryce-Haider Funeral Chapels located at 15 East Sola Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. The rosary will be said from 3:00 - 3:30 pm in the viewing chapel. A celebration of Lois' life will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 31, 2014, at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic church, 21 East Sola Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. A graveside interment service for her ashes will be held on Friday, June 20th at Calvary Cemetary, 199 North Hope Ave, Santa Barbara, CA 93110, at 11:30 a.m.. Flowers can be sent to Welch-Ryce-Haider Funeral Chapels (805-965-5145) or in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alpha Resource Center, 4501 Cathedral Oaks Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93111 or through their website www.alphasb.org

Lois Carter Gonzalez

October 9, 1928 - May 20, 2014