John Raymond Gonzalez, 87

LACONIA — John Raymond Gonzalez, 87, died peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, March 17, 2019. John was a Taylor home resident for 19 years.

John was born on April 13, 1931, in Central Falls, Rhode Island, the son of Eliseo and Irene (Michaud) Gonzalez.

John was a missionary and a Catholic priest. He started his own congregation, Our Lady of Monserrat, in Stamford, Connecticut, one of the larger Hispanic churches in the area that still exists today. John left the church, laicized by Pope John Paul VI, and married his childhood love, Rosemarie, in 1972, on July 1. They were soon blessed with two sons, J.J. and Christopher.

John is survived by his two sons and their wives, Stacey and Rebekah; four grandchildren, Emily, Nathan, Xander, and Sawyer; and a great-grandchild, Layla.

John was a loving father and doting husband. He has been reunited with the love of his life, Rose, whom he lost on Feb. 9, 2017.

There will be no calling hours.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, April 6, at 10 a.m. at St. Andre Bessette Parish-St. Joseph Church, 30 Church St., Laconia.

Burial will be on Saturday, April 27, at 11 a.m. in Sacred Heart Cemetery, Laconia.

Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, is assisting the family with the arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, go to www.wilkinsonbeane.com.