On Thursday, Dec. 28, freshman Ben Gonzales died in a car accident on Interstate 45 near mile marker 133.
He died instantly somewhere between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. when his truck collided with a tractor-trailer rig that was on the freeway clearing an earlier accident.
Gonzales’ family was unavailable to comment, but friends from his fraternity, Kappa Alpha, had nothing but respectful things to say about their brother.
“He was one of the friendliest guys I’ve ever known. He could talk to just about anyone, it didn’t matter who they were,” freshman Jeff Fairchild said. “We’re still working on a service for him, but plans are still in motion for it.”
Gonzales was, by all accounts, “a young man with dreams,” and he impacted many of his friends with his kindness and strong spirit.
“He was just a great guy, and anytime you needed someone to talk to, he was there. He always put everybody else first,” freshman Briana Pfeifer said. “He’ll be missed by everybody he’s ever known.”
Since the accident, friends have supported each other with memories and comments online, including a poem on Facebook.com written by freshman Brandon Morgan entitled “Here’s to a brother.”
“You gave me advice and told me what was on your mind, such a good person, a man of his time.
“Let this writing go out for all to hear, Heaven’s now got a man for who we all shed a tear,” the poem read.
Several high school friends and acquaintances from the Fort Worth area also posted memories and accounts of Gonzales’ life, all of which can be seen on the same Web site.
Gonzales was traveling back to Huntsville to return to his job at a local tire store. He was attending Sam Houston to earn a degree in criminal justice and hoped to one day become an arson investigator.
In his spare time, he played the guitar, enjoyed baseball and composed his own music.
Funeral services were held on Tuesday, Jan. 2 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Arlington.
Gonzales’ survivors include his parents, Ray and Sheila Gonzales, his sister Jessica Gonzales, and according to a statement made by the family, “many extended family members and friends.”
Any friends that would like to share memories of Gonzales’ life at the university can contact his parents at haygon4@sbcglobal.net.