Jose William “Joey” Gonzalez, age 52 years, of Franklin Township, Hunterdon County, NJ, returned home to the arms of the Lord on Wednesday, February 16, 2022 at Hunterdon Medical Center, Raritan Township, NJ, with his family by his side.

Born on November 28, 1969 in Brooklyn, NY, son of Jose and Sonia Vega Gonzalez, Joey had lived in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn and Staten Island, NY before moving to Pittstown, NJ in 2004.

The oldest of three children, Joey was brought up in a traditional New York Puerto Rican household complete with the most amazing homemade food, the unconditional love from his parents and extended family, and the teaching that one should show respect to all peoples. He was guardian to his younger brother, Giovanni, and baby sister, Barbie, and was proud that they all stayed close over the years even as their families grew; Joey was fond of making sure that he never forgot his roots.

It was a chance meeting at the age of 15 that would alter Joey’s life forever, and for the better. It was at that tender young age when he would meet 14 year old Ms. Elena DiLauro, who herself came from a traditional Brooklyn New York Italian family. The two would fall quickly for one another and the rest, as they say, is history!

The couple brought family and friends together in a way that made the Gonzalez-DiLauro tribe one that everyone knew and respected. Friends were family and it was here where the Italian’s called Joey “Jose” and the Puerto Rican’s all called him “Joey”, with both nicknames sticking. It is often joked that you can tell what side of the family a person is on by what they would call him.

Growing up and still to this day, the couple was and is the epitome of a true fairy-tale love story. They each knew from the moment they met, that the other was their better half, and every waking moment was spent working towards ensuring that they lived each moment to the fullest, and for the other. They were proud of their relationship and that so many commented on how easy and natural it seemed for them. Joey would simply reply to anyone’s queries that it was just, “pure love” with his signature Joey smile.

The couple would eventually join hands in holy matrimony on June 25, 1995 at the Church of Saints Simon & Jude, Brooklyn, NY. Their hearts joining together under God’s blessing was another important part of their love story and their faith as individuals and as a couple never wavered from the moment those vows were made.

Elena and Joey would soon be blessed with a daughter, whom they named Sky. Chloe would follow a few years later and Joey would tell anyone who listened that he was blessed to live in a home with the three most amazing women ever created, besides of course his mother and his sister. It would be several years later that he and Elena decided that they had so much love in their family, and if it was God’s will, that they should try for another child. Some may think that the couple might of wanted a boy, but the truth was told when Joey introduced the world to his third daughter, Autumn, with a smile only a ‘Girl Dad’ could possess.

Joey was a true ‘Girl Dad’ in every sense of the term. He would be the first one to paint their nails or play dolls. He loved to have Daddy-Daughter dates with each of them and made sure they knew how a real man should treat them. He taught them to follow their dreams and was by far, their biggest fan and cheerleader.

All day, every day was family time to Joey. He prioritized everything in his life around his family, and his “four girls” were his world. They would do everything from cooking empanadas together to watching mobster movies. Elena, Joey and the kids simply enjoyed being a family unit, and whether it was grabbing Dunkin Donuts and going antiquing with Elena, or cooking breakfast for the kids and just being together, Joey ensured that his family knew that having a solid foundation mattered. That one’s roots mattered. That love mattered.

Joey was currently a Loan Office for Guaranteed Rate, Parsippany, NJ. He was proud of his ability to genuinely connect with customers to help make their dreams a reality. Always a ‘numbers’ guy, Joey was hard working yet humble, and did all he could to ensure his girls had everything they dreamed of in addition to everything they needed.

Dedicated to his community, he was of course always doing anything needed for his kids from a school perspective. He was there at every event and was a second Dad to many of his children’s friends. He was a also a longtime and faithful communicant at St. Catherine of Siena Church, where he was a past president of the parish council and also taught 1^st grade CCD.

Having many hobbies, his salsa dancing and freestyle dance moves will be remembered well by all who had the experience of Joey performing for them. A car aficionado, he loved his corvettes and would happily tell anyone who would listen about a car that they just saw. He was also a poker player who made sure his girls knew how to bluff with the best.

To sum up the life of Jose William “Joey” Gonzalez is impossible because to sum it up means it has ended. Joey’s love for all is something that transcends even death. His fight over the last three months is testimony to that, as even his doctors stated they never had seen someone with a will and comeback fight like Joey. Crisis after crisis, he would navigate and then beat it, ensuring that his last physical lessons to his family, friends, and especially, his “four girls”, would be one of enduring hope and eternal love.

It is written in 2 Timothy 4:7-8: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. Rest easy, Joey, until that day we are all joined together in that place where there is no pain or suffering, but only light, peace and hope!

The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the doctors, nurses, and staff at Hunterdon Medical Center for their hard work and support of Joey and the family during the past three months, as well as to the entire community for the outpouring of love and compassion that all have shown.

Joey was preceded in death by his father-in-law, Antonio DiLauro.

Surviving are his wife and best friend, Elena DiLauro Gonzalez; his three daughters and light of his life, Sky, Chloe and Autumn Gonzalez; his parents, Sonia and Jose Gonzalez; his siblings Giovanni Gonzalez and Barbie Gonzalez Rizzotti and her husband, Sandro Rizzotti; his mother-in-law, Anna DiLauro; his siblings-in-law, Vincenza DiLauro and Rosaria and her husband, Nicola Bruno; his nieces and nephews, Pilar Gonzalez, Angelina Rizzotti, Christian Rizzotti, Angelo Maligieri, Claudia Maligieri, and Briano Bruno; several extended family members; and many, many dear friends, who were always considered ‘family’ to Joey.

Joey will lie in repose on Wednesday, February 23, 2022 from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. in the Chapel of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ. There will be words from the immediate family on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the funeral home and to which all are welcome.

A Mass of Christian Burial celebrated by Rev. Chester Zalubski will take place on Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Church, 2 White Bridge Road, Pittstown, NJ 08867. Everyone is respectfully asked to meet directly at the church on Thursday morning beginning at 9:30 a.m. There will be no services at the funeral home on Thursday morning.

Realizing that some may be unable to attend due to the pandemic, the life celebration service on Wednesday, as well as the Mass on Thursday, will be live-streamed, with the stream being active according to the following schedule: Wednesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. and Thursday beginning at 9:45 a.m. for the duration of the mass.  The link is the same for both locations. To watch, please click HERE and kindly ensure you do not have a pop-up blocker enabled. (If you are having issues with clicking above, please follow this link: https://vimeo.com/event/1864424).

Following mass, committal words followed by cremation at the Chapel at Somerset Hills Memorial Park Crematory, Basking Ridge, NJ, will be private.

You are encouraged to visit Joey’s permanent life celebration site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a candle of hope, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of his life.

In lieu of flowers, those who wish to honor Joey are asked to make a contribution to a fund that will assist with ensuring that ‘his girls’ receive a wonderful education which will allow them to bring their talents, of which their Dad was so proud, to the world. Please click HERE to be taken to the contribution page. The family is very appreciative of the tremendous outpouring of love and support that they have received from the community and which to ensure that each of you reading this know how grateful they are for that love and support.

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Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”