It is with broken hearts and an immeasurable sense of loss that we announce the passing of our beloved BJ Gonzales, born Betty Jo Ovalle, on August 26, 2026, just a few short weeks before what would have been her 69th birthday.

Although Betty Jo was the name she was given at birth, anyone who truly knew her knew better than to call her that. She was BJ. Always BJ. And there could only ever be one.

BJ was truly one of a kind. She had a personality that could brighten a room and a way of making you smile simply by talking with her. She loved wholeheartedly, laughed freely, and left an impression on the people fortunate enough to know her. She was loved beyond measure, and the space she leaves behind in the lives of her family and friends is impossible to put into words.

BJ was born on September 12, 1957, in San Antonio, Texas, to the late Roy A. Ovalle Sr. and Julia H. Reyes. San Antonio was home, but growing up as the daughter of a military father gave BJ the opportunity to experience life far beyond Texas.

Her father's military service took the family overseas to Spain, where BJ spent part of her younger years. She attended Torrejon American High School in Madrid, Spain, proudly graduating with the Class of 1975.

BJ eventually returned home to San Antonio, continued her education at San Antonio Business College, and went on to build a career spanning decades in finance, collections, and insurance. She spent 15 years with SWBC, bringing with her many years of knowledge and experience in the financial industry.

BJ worked hard and built a career to be proud of, but her greatest accomplishment could never be printed on a résumé.

It was her family.

BJ was the proud mother of four children: April Gomez and her husband, Jose Gomez; Amber Gonzales and her wife, Amanda Gonzales; Amanda M. Gonzales and her husband, Nick Alex; and her only son, Chuck Jr. Gonzales.

BJ and her former husband, Chuck Sr. Gonzales, built their family together. Although their marriage ended many years ago, their family never did. As life changed and Chuck married Melissa Gonzales, their family continued to grow into something beautifully blended.

BJ's heart was never limited by technical titles or branches on a family tree. She shared a special love and bond with Arianna Gonzales; Ruben DeAnda and his husband, Eric DeAnda; Justin DeAnda; and Steven DeAnda. They were family to BJ in every way that mattered, and she loved them as such.

Because to BJ, family was family.

BJ often said, “The greatest reflection of your life is your children.”

Those words tell so much about the woman she was. BJ didn't measure a life simply by accomplishments, careers, or possessions. She looked at the people you raised, the families they created, the way they loved one another, and what continued through the generations that followed.

Her oldest daughter, April, carries those words especially close to her heart. As the first of BJ's four children, she understands both the weight and the beauty behind them. The pride April has for her own children and the memories their family has created together are, in many ways, a continuation of the very thing BJ believed so deeply.

BJ was able to watch April raise Gianna, Evanie, Malina, and Santino and see the gems they have become. She watched Amber advance her career and build a life of her own with her wife and fur babies. She watched Amanda grow her beautiful family and become a mother to Charlotte, Scarlette, and Ryleigh. And she watched her only son, Chuck Jr., become an incredible father to his two boys, Cairo and Canaan.

If the greatest reflection of your life truly is your children, BJ leaves behind a beautiful one.

Of all the names BJ answered to throughout her lifetime, one of her most treasured was simply: Grandma.

BJ was Grandma to nine grandchildren, each loved beyond measure: Gianna Lynn, Evanie Lea, Malina Lyla, and Santino Leo Gomez; Charlotte Grey, Scarlette Elina, and Ryleigh Iris Alex; and Cairo Antonio and Canaan Anthony Gonzales.

Her granddaughter Gianna gave BJ the beautiful gift of becoming a great-grandmother to her one and only great-granddaughter, Emilia Alana Gomez.

Being Grandma wasn't simply a title BJ held. It was part of who she was. She loved her grandchildren fiercely, spoiled them proudly, and took every opportunity she could to make them feel special. There wasn't much Grandma wouldn't do—or buy—for one of her grandkids.

But more than anything, Grandma showed up.

She could be found on the sidelines cheering for Malina and Santino at their soccer games. She treasured being present for Charlotte's school functions and pool meets, as well as special moments for Cairo and Canaan. Big occasion or small, if there was an opportunity for Grandma to be there, she wanted to be there.

In the final year of her life, BJ was blessed to witness two extraordinary milestones.

In February, she proudly watched her granddaughter Gianna graduate from the San Antonio Police Academy.

In May, she watched her granddaughter Evanie graduate from Texas State University.

These moments joined a lifetime of birthdays, graduations, accomplishments, school functions, sporting events, and everyday victories that BJ was there to celebrate.

Looking back, those seemingly ordinary moments of Grandma sitting on the sidelines or simply being present have become anything but ordinary. They are gifts.

Her children and grandchildren will always know one thing: If it mattered to them, it mattered to Grandma too.

BJ was also a beloved sister. She is survived by her brother, Roy Ovalle Jr.; her sisters, Patricia Villegas and Mary Ovalle Velasquez; and Mary's husband, Willie Velasquez.

She also proudly held another very special title: Auntie.

BJ was Auntie to nine nieces and nephews: Gilbert Villegas, Gino Villegas, Stacey Ovalle, Bianca Gamez, Sara Ovalle, Olivia Escobar, Rene Velasquez, Eric Velasquez, and Julian Velasquez.

Her family stretched across generations, and each relationship added another chapter to a life surrounded by people who loved her.

Even the four-legged members of the family received Grandma's love, including Amber and Amanda's fur babies, Callie Grace, Lucy, and Damien Gonzales.

BJ knew how to enjoy life.

She loved poker nights, good BBQ, bingo, trips to the beach, and cheering on her San Antonio Spurs.

And while BJ had teams she loved, she also had one she very proudly did not love: the Dallas Cowboys.

Anyone who happened to be a Cowboys fan around BJ knew they were fair game. She took great pleasure in teasing them, especially after a Cowboys loss. You can certainly count on BJ to never let you hear the end of it. It was part of her playful, mischievous sense of humor and another one of those things that made her unmistakably BJ.

She also loved to shop. Anyone who knew BJ knew she was most definitely a Coach girly. A new purse could catch her eye, although shopping for herself had some serious competition once grandchildren came along.

BJ loved sharing the little everyday moments of her life with the people she loved—especially whatever she happened to be eating. If BJ was enjoying a good lunch or dinner, chances are you were going to hear about it. And if it was particularly good, there was one word you could almost guarantee would follow: “Scrumptious.”

It's such a simple little thing she would say, but now it's one of those words her family will forever hear in her voice.

BJ appreciated life's simple pleasures, but she certainly wasn't finished looking for adventures.

In recent years, she was fortunate enough to take a beach trip with her sisters—a trip filled with memories that have now become more precious than anyone could have imagined at the time.

There were countless laughs, old stories, and moments that took three grown women right back to being girls together. One of the highlights was a sunset helicopter excursion, with the three sisters giddy with excitement and carrying on like silly teenagers. One can only imagine what their pilot must have thought. But for BJ and her sisters, it was another adventure, another laugh, and another story to tell.

And apparently, a helicopter wasn't quite adventurous enough for BJ.

Her sister Pat recently remembered BJ talking about wanting to skydive from an airplane next. At nearly 69 years old, BJ wasn't talking about slowing down. She was talking about jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.

That was BJ.

She still had places she wanted to go. Adventures she wanted to take. Food she hadn't gotten the chance to declare “scrumptious.” Spurs games to watch. Cowboys fans to taunt. Bingo games to play. Coach bags to shop for. Grandchildren to spoil. Beaches to visit. Family gatherings to laugh through.

Memories she fully intended to keep making. BJ didn't simply love the people in her life. She loved life itself.

BJ was preceded in death by her father, Roy A. Ovalle Sr.; her cherished mother, Julia H. Reyes; her beloved brother, Robert Anthony Ovalle; her aunts, Mary Lou Macias and Mamie Lara; and her beloved dog, Pepper, who held a very special place in her heart.

While saying goodbye to BJ leaves an emptiness that words cannot describe, her family finds comfort in believing she has been reunited with those she loved and missed so dearly—especially her Mom, Julia.

There is something particularly meaningful about that reunion. BJ entered this world as Julia's daughter. She grew into a woman who became Mom herself, then Grandma, and eventually Great-Grandma.

The love she first knew as a daughter became the love she poured into the generations that followed her. Now those generations will carry it forward.

Her family will find BJ in places they don't expect. Someone will spot a Coach bag and immediately think of her. A Spurs game will bring back a memory. Someone will sit down to an especially good meal and hear Grandma's voice saying, “Scrumptious.” And somewhere, a Cowboys fan in the family will probably hear exactly what BJ would have had to say about that last game.

A trip to the beach will feel a little different. There will be soccer games and school functions where her absence is felt because everyone knows exactly where Grandma would have been.

There will be graduations, weddings, birthdays, accomplishments, and ordinary Tuesdays when someone desperately wishes they could tell Grandma what happened.

And there will be family gatherings when someone makes a certain face, tells a story, laughs a certain way, or does something that makes everyone stop and say: “That's Grandma.”

Those moments will come for the rest of their lives because BJ's presence became woven into the people she loved.

Her four children carry pieces of her. Her nine grandchildren carry pieces of her. And her great-granddaughter represents another generation in which that love will continue.

Her children will hear their mother's words coming out of their own mouths. They'll continue traditions because that's how Mom did it. They'll look at their own children with pride and understand a little more deeply exactly what BJ meant when she said:

“The greatest reflection of your life is your children.”

She was Roy and Julia's daughter.

She was a sister.

She was Auntie.

She was Mom.

She was Grandma.

She was Great-Grandma.

She was a friend.

And she was completely and unapologetically BJ.

She leaves behind her children and their spouses, her beautifully blended family, nine grandchildren, her great-granddaughter, her siblings, nieces and nephews, extended family, friends, coworkers, and countless others fortunate enough to have shared a part of this life with her.

BJ was loved beyond measure in this life, and she will be missed beyond what words can express. She may not have been ready for her adventures to end, but the love, laughter, stories, and family she leaves behind ensure that her story never will.

If BJ believed the greatest reflection of a person's life was their children, then all anyone needs to do is look at the family standing beside her.

There will never be another BJ.

We love you, Mom. We love you, Grandma. Always.

Te quiero mucho. Always and forever.