Rey Gonzalez spent more than three decades protecting the community as an LAFD Engineer. Now retired, he and his wife Jacque turned their efforts to helping other firefighters and their families by volunteering for Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemen’s Fund events.
Since 2012, he’s been a regular at charity functions. At Hope for Firefighters, the annual fundraising festival that fills Hope Street in Downtown L.A., Rey has helped out at food booths. At the LAFD Invitational golf tournament, he served as a monitor at one of the special “contest” holes where players could win a prize. And he even comes into the Widows & Orphans office with Jacque to lend a hand-prepping for events or stuffing envelopes.
During his time with the LAFD, Rey mentored other firefighters who wanted to become engineers. Juan Albarran, president of the Los Angeles Firemen’s Relief Association (the charity’s managing organization), worked with Rey for 13 years. He said, “Rey was very generous with is time… and he was a great leader.”
The motivation to give his time comes from his charitable personality and his true appreciation of his fellow firefighters, which includes members of his family. His son Eric followed in his footsteps as an LAFD Firefighter and his son-in-law is a firefighter in Phoenix, Arizona.
All of those who’ve worked or volunteered with Rey echo Juan’s sentiments. And it’s easy to see why. He brings a genuine enthusiasm and positive energy to any task he takes on. So, if he and Jacque aren’t traveling in their RV or hanging out with their grandchildren (two of their favorite activities), chances are you can find them donating their time to Widows & Orphans.
By David Vienna