Mary Jane Gonzales

Mary Jane was a sweet, loving, happy girl with smiling eyes who celebrated life in spite of her limitations and disabilities. She made lots of friends with her warm smile and twinkling eyes ... always ready to say, 'Hi!' even to strangers. She loved to sing and would burst out into a song and dance whenever she heard something she liked on her iPod. She was just a simple innocent special child capable of pretenses who just loved to be friends with everyone. Mary Jane loved trees, green mountains, green landscapes and wild flowers. Whenever she saw wild flowers on the sides of the freeways, she would say, 'Flowers!' ... and would point to the flowers. When her Mom asked her, 'What did the flower say to you, Mary Jane?' she would answer, 'I love you, Mary Jane.' Whenever she saw brown mountains and brown landscapes along the freeways, her Mom would ask her who gets the brown mountains and brown barren landscapes, she would quickly say, 'Dad,' and when her Mom asked 'How about the green?' she would readily say, 'Me.' Mary Jane was a very thoughtful child. She would often surprise her Mom with something (a bracelet, a necklace, or a handicraft item she made in her school workshop), give it to her Mom and say, 'Yours!' When asked what she had for her Dad, she would say 'Nothing!' and then we all would break into a hearty laugh. She was strict in saying her prayers before meals. If anybody started eating without praying first, she would make a 'time out' call sign and ask everybody to pray first. She did this even in school. She never went to bed without praying. Everybody was on alert to say their prayers when Mary Jane was around. Mary Jane was a very loyal fan of Kobe Bryant and the LAKERS. She had the Lakers jacket, Lakers T-shirts, a picture with the Laker Girls and Kobe's poster in her bedroom. She got upset with her Dad when he watched Clippers games. She wanted the household to watch only Lakers games. No Clippers games! She participated in church prayers and songs. She said the prayers and and the songs in church in her own way. Manny and Leng were so blessed with their special child, Mary Jane. She was a gift from God (her Mom and Dad's Special Angel) who brought joy and love to her parents and to the people who became her friends by being just as she was. During her dying moments, her Mom and Dad surrendered her to the Lord, they asked that the Lord make her into an angel and assign her to watch over handicapped children so that she may teach them the joys and happiness of life even with their disabilities and limitations.