Services for Tonya Gonzales

Tonya Rae Gonzales was a beautiful, loving, creatively talented person. She had an eye for art and could see beauty in the everyday and ordinary. She loved nature and would spend time exploring, hiking, and kayaking. She was an artist who created sculptures and jewelry. She was just starting out on a new chapter in her life, and she was taken much too soon.

Tonya also struggled with addiction throughout her life. When speaking of her addiction, she said the following: “This thing is truly cunning, baffling, and powerful but you know what? My God is much more powerful than it is.”

Tonya first smoked pot at the age of 17, and this started a relationship with drugs and alcohol that she would struggle with throughout the rest of her life. To some people, she was just an alcoholic. When they saw her addiction, they stopped seeing her - and that was their loss. Because Tonya was an amazing person. She was strong, brave, and she was fearless. She never gave up on herself.

Tonya loved her family, More than anything else she loved her son Ayron. This was very evident through her writings in her journals and her written prayers. She would always talk about how proud she was of him.

This disease took so much from her. Please know that if you are struggling with addiction, every breath is a fresh start. Know that hundreds of thousands of families who have lost someone to addiction are pulling for you. With God’s help, you can and will make it. Ephesians 6:12

If you are reading this with judgement, educate yourself about the disease of addiction, because that’s what it is, and chances are very good that someone you know is struggling with it. That person deserves and needs your empathy and support.

Tonya is survived by her son Ayron and his wife Skyelar; her parents Ray and Donna Gonzales; her sister Toni Stubbs and her husband Garrick and their children Sarah and Eli; her sister Heather Gonzales and her children Zoe and Ruby Lloyd and Ocean Harbin. She is predeceased by her grandparents John and Florine Gonzales and Inez and George Barthel.

Donations can be made to Mercy House Women’s Center https://mercyhouseatc.com/donate-today