Rafael Antonio Gomez (1978-2008)

Rafael Antonio Gomez was born on July 13, 1978, the oldest of three brothers born to Antonio Gomez and Marisela Garcia. He called his father a hero. In his own words:

"My Father is my hero for the sacrifices he has made, the pain he has endured, and the love he has for my brothers and me. Not perfect, but a hero nonetheless." His father's example would serve him well in later life.

He attended school in Redwood City, graduated from Woodside High School in 1996, and immediately enlisted in the U.S. Army. After three years, Ralph transferred to the National Guard while attending Foothill Community College. After the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers, he was called to service being stationed in Arizona and later in Southern California.

Ralph graduated with a degree in English from Santa Clara University in June 2005 and was currently working on a teaching credential at San Jose State University.

Ralph was married to Sylvia Bravo and together they were raising their adopted daughter Itzel. They met in high school, where both were members of Youth for Christ and Latinos Unidos. It took several years for Ralph to figure out he should be dating her. When he did figure it out, he told Sylvia he loved her and wanted to marry her months before they actually started dating. Sylvia simply told him he was crazy. After four years of dating, he proposed to Sylvia in June 2007 and they were married on April 5, 2008.

Ralph was a junior in high school when he attended Peninsula Christian Center's youth group and later became a youth leader after returning from military service. He was a budding artist, creating characters with a unique and gently warped view of life. "I love to draw", he said, "to take a blank sheet of paper and scratch several lines together to form an image. Sometimes, at least for me, there's chance involved. Rarely can I have two drawings look the same. I can have a drawing turn out well and not know what it is that makes it work."

He took up playing drums in 2005 and became an integral part of the worship ministry at Peninsula Christian Center. After he was diagnosed with Synovial Scarcoma in May 2007, he continued to play even after the amputation of his left foot. On the calf of his right leg he had a tattoo of a milk carton with the picture of an amputated leg under the word "MISSING". He had a sense of humor about everything. He spent the rest of his life fighting the cancer.

He commented often on how he thought of his illness as a blessing. He saw it bring families together and it showed him how much his family, friends, and everyone was there for him. Writing in his blog, he said:

"Over the last two months, keeping my spirits up has become difficult. But, a oddly wonderful thing has happened...encouragement from God through my church family has come forth. All along I have received encouragement but recently, in the midst of this hail of negative developments, the encouraging words have increased, as though sending a platoon of reinforcements to sustain the effort."

So, who was Ralph when he walked among us? He was a devoted friend, brother, and son. He was a talented artist. He was a patriot during a time when our country desperately needed him. He was a mentor to young people and a teacher of many. He was a loving husband and father. His personality was uniquely suited to bring all of us here today as family, not just strangers. He was a warrior and in the last few years fought hard against an insurmountable foe. He took giant strides on this earth.

Today, he is with the Lord, made whole, and free from all pain. And he is assured of a new title, given to him by the Lord he loved: "A good and faithful servant."

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