Obituary of Michael Robert "Gonzo" Gonzalez

Mike “Gonzo” Gonzalez, 60, of Fort Worth, a 737 captain for American Airlines, died unexpectedly February 24, 2025.

Mass of Christian Burial: 10:30 a.m. Monday, March 10, 2025 at St. Andrew Catholic Church.  

Interment: 1:00 p.m. Monday, March 10, 2025 at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery. 

Memorials: In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Mike’s memory to the following: ALS Foundation  ( www.als.org ), Wounded Warrior Project ( www.woundedwarriorproject.org ), or Multiple Sclerosis Society  ( www.nationalmssociety.org )

Gonzo was an active and adventurous soul who seemingly never met a stranger, all of whom he greeted with a contagious smile and a big personality. Whether touring the Trinity Trails on his bicycle, dropping a kayak into the Trinity River at Pecan Valley, chasing a white golf ball, indulging his passion as a serial tinkerer, or holding court at the bar while enjoying a beer with friends, Gonzo was always on the move.

 

Michael Robert Gonzalez was born on October 4, 1964, in Fort Dix, New Jersey, to Lou and Ann Gonzalez. It was merely the first of many stops for the newbie born into an Air Force family. Gonzo was the third of four boys.

 

Carswell Air Force Base would eventually be a destination for the family. Gonzo graduated from Arlington Heights in 1982. He moved on to college at TCU, which would be a seminal experience in his life. While at TCU he was instrumental in the formation of the TCU Lacrosse Club. Gonzo remained a loyal Horned Frog throughout his life, unwavering in his support for TCU athletics. Whether cheering on the football team or sweating out Big 12 basketball games from his seat in Section 109 at Schollmaier Arena, his passion matched his contagious enthusiasm for living.

At TCU, he also met his beloved wife of 36 years, Cindy. They married on April 15, 1988 — a date specifically picked so he could remember his anniversary and his tax write-off. Together they raised three wonderful children — Lauren, Ryan, and Julie. Annual trips to the Outer Banks of North Carolina were the highlight of his year, along with navigating hikes throughout national parks.

 

After graduation, Gonzo, a member of ROTC Detachment 845 at TCU, was commissioned by Lou, his colonel father, into the Air Force. The skies were his destination.

 

Gonzo completed UPT at Laughlin Air Force Base in August 1987. After training, the Air Force asked him to come back to Del Rio to serve as a teacher in the T-38. In the parlance of the industry, Gonzo was a FAIP — First Assignment Instructor Pilot. After a year and a half in Del Rio, Gonzo was assigned to Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio to serve as a PIT instructor — a Pilot Instructor Trainer — teaching new instructors on the T-38. It was considered a primo assignment and a good step in reaching his goal of joining an F-16 Fighting Falcon squadron. However, Gonzo’s career in the Air Force was made complicated by the Bush 41 administration’s decision to take out the scalpel on the Defense Department, which, in addition to personnel and facilities, trimmed opportunity.

 

With a long career in the military essentially grounded, he headed for the friendly skies. Gonzo managed to successfully dodge mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcies and restructuring, economic downturns and volatile fuel prices, furloughs and downsizing, and, last but not least, union negotiations. He had a 33-year career at Fort Worth-based American Airlines, starting as a flight engineer on the 727, advancing to a co-pilot on the MD-80, and ultimately taking the captain’s seat on the 737.

 

Gonzo never forgot the veteran. Since 1973 his squadron at Randolph AFB, the 560th, was the place for re-qualification of former Vietnam POW Air Force pilots which eventually turned into a yearly gathering. Even after separating from the Air Force in 1992, Gonzo never missed a reunion. In 2023, he was instrumental in the enactment of HB 659 in the Texas Legislature that gave airport parking privileges to veterans who earned a Commendation Medal for acts of service and heroism.

 

In addition to his wife, children, and parents, Gonzo is survived by his grandson, Keagan Gonzalez, his daughter-in-law Rosemary, and brothers: Rick Gonzalez and his wife Suzanne and their children, Liza and Connor; Doug Gonzalez and his wife Samantha; and younger brother, Bobby Gonzalez.