Gary Gonsalves Obituary

Gary Gonsalves

February 12, 1970 - October 15, 2023

Pebble Beach, California - "You got this! Piece of Cake! Living the dream! Love you! Very cool! Done deal! No worries! Gotta love it! No bueno! Player B!"

Gary Michael Gonsalves, 53, of Pebble Beach, California, was taken from this life too soon, after wagering a courageous battle against melanoma. Gary passed away on Sunday, October 15, 2023, surrounded by his family. Gary was the eldest child of Richard and Donna (Studer) Gonsalves born on February 12, 1970, in Sacramento, California.

Gary attended Notre Dame Catholic School in Folsom California and served as an altar boy at weekly mass. He transferred to Cavitt Junior High and graduated from Oakmont High School in 1988. Gary was a brilliant student, never studied, but always got great grades. He served on the leadership team, played basketball and soccer all the while forging great lifelong friendships at Oakmont. His glory days were spent at Chico State University when he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and met the love of his life, Diana. Gary swooped in on Diana at Chico's finest watering hole, Joe's, and began their married life together in February of 1996 in Sacramento, CA. Diana was Gary's first and only love. They immensely enjoyed their 27 years together raising two extraordinary children, Jacob Tyler and Kathryn Grace. Diana inspired Gary's love for traveling and the great adventure of experiencing the world together. Their favorite memories were made adventuring coast to coast and worldwide while tackling Happy Hours in every city they stepped foot in. Gary's family was the most important thing in his life; he would take every opportunity to boast how proud he was of them.

Gary had a collection of friends spanning from his high school years through the very end of his life. When Gary made friends, he kept those friends. His overflowing optimism inspired those around him, his outgoing personality brightened every room he entered, he was a resilient intelligent risk taker, humble beyond measure, his generosity was like no other, he'd always put others before himself. Gary was loyal and genuinely celebrated the good news of others all the while offering optimistic, hope-filled solutions for any challenges.

Gary was an entrepreneur as well as an innovative leader in the banking business. He possessed extraordinary problem-solving abilities and a profound work ethic. He was a strategic thinker, successfully leading Product Management teams at various financial institutions, developing strong partnerships with internal teams and service providers. He was passionate about developing young talent, he was always willing to share his knowledge with those who had the pleasure of working with him and give professional opportunities to those who deserved them most. He bridged his professional career by sharing his financial knowledge with his family. If anyone needed financial guidance, they would call Gary.

Gary loved to golf and took every opportunity to get out on any course with anyone who would come along. His treasured golf moments were shared with his wonderful friends and family tackling his bucket list of courses; never losing sight of "going pro". When not on the course, he could be found mastering his pickleball game, shredding it up on his snowboard in Tahoe, hiking the trails by the beach or planning his next adventure. He was a die-hard Dodgers fan and Notre Dame faithful. He loved to watch baseball and football with his family perched beside him. Gary enjoyed talking about sports, stats, and smack with all his nephews, brother-in-laws, and buddies. Gary was always the favorite among the youngest ones with his magic tricks, wagering bets for the fastest or craziest challenges, all his buddies' kids, nieces, and nephews alike all loved Gary.

Gary always took the time to check-in on his friends and family. He was the favorite son, the insightful brother, the faithful husband, the supportive father, the funniest uncle, and the most loyal friend. He always made time for and prioritized the people he loved. Gary was preceded in death by his mother-in-law, Francis Abbott and his two best furry friends Buddy and Scout. Gary is survived by his beautiful wife, Diana Lee Gonsalves (Abbott) and his amazing children, Jacob Tyler Gonsalves and Kathryn Grace Gonsalves, his loving parents, Richard and Donna Gonsalves, his sisters, Julie Kelly and husband Matt, Jeanne Kranig and husband Brent, his father-in-law, Ronald Abbott, his sister-in-laws, Rosalyn Relf and partners Jim and Ronald, Rebecca Hambright and husband Steven, his brother-in-law, Douglas Abbott, and all of his most favorite nephews and nieces.

In lieu of flowers please feel free to make donations in Gary's honor to http://alandfriends.org/, https://firsttee.org/, or www.v.org/.