Gonzalo Rico Ruiz

Gonzalo Rico Ruiz, our beloved patriarch whose life was a testament to resilience, tireless work, and profound love for his family and the earth, passed away peacefully on September 27, 2025, in Kelseyville, CA, surrounded by his loving family. He was just 11 days shy of his 98th birthday.

Gonzalo was Born on October 8, 1927, to Florentino Rico Mendoza and Nicolasa Ruiz Rodrigues in La Rinconada, Michoacán. Gonzalo grew up during a time when the echoes of the Mexican Revolution and the devastating Cristero War were still felt, and when the old systems of Hacendados (wealthy landowners) exploiting peasant and indigenous labor still persisted. As a young boy, Gonzalo and his father worked for one such Hacendado at the Hacienda de Irapeo, caring for sheep and learning the hard lessons of the land.

This lack of opportunity meant he never learned to read or write, yet these barriers never once stopped him from accomplishing all he did in his life. At the heart of his enduring life was his beloved wife, Maria de Jesus Hernandez Cazarez ("Chucha"), with whom he shared an extraordinary and unbreakable bond for 78 years.

In the early 1950s, Gonzalo sought a better future and came to the United States through the Bracero Program. He faced immense challenges being separated from his family and being so far from home, spending days toiling in the fields of the Imperial Valley, Indio, Southern California, and Salinas, harvesting cotton, lettuce, tomatoes, and other crops. He endured the exploitation common to the program, spending countless hours using the now-banned, agonizing short-handled hoe.

His great triumph came in 1960. Through Mexico's land redistribution program (ejidos), Gonzalo became an ejidatario (landowner) in Pino Real, Michoacán. He moved his family there and built their home, spending the best years of his life in this quiet mountain village. It was here that he truly flourished, nurturing the land he fought for and raising his large family.

Gonzalo was a masterful farmer, cultivating maize, beans, garbanzos, wheat, squash, onions, and avocados. He also harvested sap from the pine trees on his land to sell for use in cleaning, anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and other products. As a devoted beekeeper, he managed colonies that produced the most delicious honey. Together with his wife, "Chuchita", they owned and worked the village molino (mill), where every day in the early pre-dawn hours, the women of the village would bring their nixtamal to be turned into masa for their tortillas.

Despite his lack of formal schooling, Gonzalo was a passionate environmentalist and a dedicated civic leader. Serving as the Ejido Commissariat, he fiercely advocated and fought to minimize environmental impacts in Pino Real. He courageously resisted logging projects and the deforestation of his mountain village, driven by a profound desire to conserve the land, trees, and water for generations to come.

Gonzalo was a man of firm convictions and deep emotional reserves. He was known for his stubborn will and a loud, thunderous voice that commanded respect and attention. Growing up in a demanding era where emotions were rarely expressed with words like "I love you," his affection was instead demonstrated through tireless actions and unwavering provision. Every ear of corn he grew, every bag of masa he milled, and his land conservation efforts were all a tangible expression of his profound commitment to his family. His hard work was his devotion.

Gonzalo was preceded in death by his cherished wife, Maria de Jesus, and his son, Gonzalo.

His legacy of strength, devotion, and hard work lives on through his nine surviving children: Jeronimo, Cruz, Carmelo, Guadalupe, Maria, Martin, Amalia, Rosa Maria, and Mario. He was the proud grandfather to 33 grandchildren, 33 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren.

Gonzalo Rico Ruiz will be returned to his final resting place next to his wife, Maria de Jesus, in the earth he loved and protected in Pino Real, Michoacán. His life story is not just a family history; it is a powerful piece of Mexican and American history, a testament to what one man can achieve through sheer will and an unshakeable dedication to his family.