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Funeral held for daughter, father killed in accident HAYWARD -- About 1,000 people came to St. Bede Catholic Church on Monday morning to say goodbye to 18-year-old Cynthia Gonzalez and her father, Honorato, who both died in a car accident June 18, 2005. Irma Gonzalez, Honorato's wife of 19 years, was recently released from Memorial Medical Center in Modesto, where she had been listed in critical condition shortly after the accident. At Monday morning's service, with family members supporting her on each side, she moved haltingly up the aisle behind the two caskets bearing her husband and daughter. Cynthia Gonzalez graduated from Tennyson High School, Class of 2005, with plans to study drama at the University of California, San Diego. She was on her way to freshman orientation with her parents when the tread of a rear tire separated, causing her Jeep to hit a median and overturn. Hundreds of her former classmates attended the Spanish-language service on Monday. They listened as the Rev. Seamus Farrell compared the father and daughter to flowers in full bloom, which God had taken to his 'house in Heaven.' Some wore black T-shirts with the teenager's photo and favorite quote: 'Have a Beautiful Day'. -- Oakland Tribune, 6/28/05

An Evening Of Mystery - THS Prom - May 21 2005

Cynthia Gonzalez

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Tennyson High mourns death of popular student

Ricci Graham, STAFF WRITER
HAYWARD -- Cynthia Gonzalez was a model student, the kind of teenager high school teachers always hope will find a seat in their classroom.

Like most graduating seniors, Gonzalez had a dream. Hers was to be an actress, and she was planning to major in theater when she entered the University of California, San Diego, this summer.

But as Gonzalez, 18, and her parents -- Honorato, 50, and Irma, 57 -- were driving to UCSD on Saturday for a freshman orientation program, they were involved in a single-car accident on Interstate 5 near Crows Landing. Cynthia and her father were pronounced dead at the scene. Irma Gonzalez remains at Memorial Medical Center in Modesto, where she was listed in critical condition.

An investigation by the California Highway Patrol determined that Cynthia Gonzalez was driving south on I-5 near Fink Road about 2:25 p.m. when the tread on the rear left tire of her 1994 Jeep separated, causing the sport utility vehicle to strike a median before overturning.

Word of Cynthia Gonzalez's death spread quickly throughout the south Hayward community on Saturday, culminating in a memorial service on Monday in the courtyard at Tennyson High School, where Gonzalez graduated with honors last Wednesday.

"It's horrible," said Senda Rios, a Tennyson counselor who said she spent many joyful moments with Cynthia Gonzalez. "She was a leader, and she was going to be an actress. She was full of life. It's hard to understand. I expected to see her at the Academy Awards one day."

Gonzalez served as the president of Puente, an academic program designed to boost the academic performance of Latino students, was captain of the girls varsity soccer team and was a member of the school's leadership commission, overseeing the activities of the student clubs at the campus.

Gonzalez was such an eloquent speaker that she was chosen to address the state Legislature when it threatened to cut funding for the Puente program. She was also the guest speaker during last week's eighth-grade graduation ceremony at Csar Chvez Middle School.

"She was a superstar," Tennyson teacher Krista Rogerson said through tears. "It's so unfair."

Indeed, Gonzalez's death was difficult to grasp for the nearly 100 students, teachers and administrators who stood silently in front of the campus that was once illuminated by Gonzalez's effervescent personality and her infectious smile.

"She was an all-around wonderful person," said Alicia Halatsis, a senior. "She was a beautiful person, inside and out, and everybody who knew her was blessed."

Roaseann Colon, a junior, said: "I'm in shock. I can't believe Cynthia is gone. I've always seen her as my role model. It's like a bad dream that I want to wake up from."

The school is on summer break, but stunned students began arriving at the campus shortly before 8 a.m. Monday. The teenagers, dressed mostly in black, gathered in small clusters in the campus courtyard until administrators filtered out and set up a memorial outside the campus.

They gathered around a shrine honoring their fallen classmate, one that was adorned with photographs, flowers and placards -- one of which read "Our Beautiful Duchess."

After the ceremony, students and administrators were encouraged to write remembrances of Gonzalez and tie them to a tree, where the missives fluttered in the soft, subtle wind as tearful classmates searched for words to express their grief.

Tennyson Co-Principal Paula Banchero and other administrators presided over the ceremony, which came at a time when graduating seniors are preparing to embark on their new lives.

"She was a lovely girl," Banchero said. "She was full of spirit, so energetic. She didn't say 'hi,' she gave you a hug. It's sad. The best and worst can happen so closely."

Banchero said she planned to keep the cafeteria open during the day to give grieving students a place to gather and, perhaps, receive support from a counselor.

What makes Gonzalez's death so sad and so difficult to fathom is that she was both a perfect student and a loving friend, mourners said.

"She was, she definitely was," said Ray Bonnilla, a Tennyson graduate. "When it came down to hitting the books and studying, she was like no other. She really had her priorities set. She had such a promising future. It's a real challenge to my faith in God. How can someone so innocent be taken away?"

Gonzalez's death was a reminder to some students that life is fleeting, and that it shouldn't be taken for granted.

"Everyone in high school feels invincible," senior Elgin Henderson said. "Nobody thinks about death. When I first heard about Cynthia's death, I felt like I could die now, that anyone can be taken away. But she lived life with no regrets." (Elgin passed away in 2008)

c2005 ANG Newspapers