A family’s commitment to improving lives for 111 years

The Gonzales parents and three sons have served about 111 years, in total, in the UCHealth Northern Colorado Region.

In 1988, Joe Gonzales began working in laundry at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital. His wife, Linda, started in 1997 as a secretary at the breast diagnostic center. Their sons, Jose, Anthony and Marcus, later joined in positions with laundry and central supply.

“No matter what position you do at the hospital, you’re there for the patient,” Joe said. “You may not see them every day, but everyone who works there has a role in taking care of those patients.”

Joe retired in 2021 but continues to serve as a relief radiology assistant at PVH. Linda recently retired as a patient access representative with the PVH diabetes program. Jose is manager of central supply at MCR, Anthony is a supply coordinator with PVH central supply, and Marcus is a supervisor with PVH central supply.

Jose was the first son to join UCHealth, starting in 2000 in PVH laundry services. He later moved to PVH central supply as a front-line technician. His manager was Sean Minning, who is now based at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital.

“What stuck out about Jose was truly an inner work ethic – it’s what the family embodies,” Minning said. “They’re just a good, hard-working family as a whole, and it starts with the elders.”

Over decades, Minning has become a longtime friend of the family, and all three of the sons have worked for him.

“Every single one of them wants to contribute to something that’s bigger,” he said. “They also really care about their co-workers. They’re all affiliative. There’s a protective nature about them that makes them good at what they do.”

Anthony was the next son hired, starting as a patient transporter in 2007. After a few years, he also moved over to PVH central supply.

“What makes Anthony special is his spirit – his love of life, and his vibrance,” Minning said. “He brought a contagious personality to the team.”

The third brother, Marcus joined central supply at MCR in 2011, and he soon transferred to PVH.

“He was great at taking a no-win situation and getting it over the finish line,” Minning said. “He’s your attention-to-detail guy.”

Even though Minning is now based in Aurora, the family keeps in contact with him.

“Sean was a big part of our journey, supporting the whole family,” Jose said. “My grandma called him a grandson.”

When their grandmother, Agnes Lucero, neared the end of her life, Minning and others picked up shifts to ensure all three brothers could spend time with her.

“Even though we all worked in the same department, he said, ‘You go be with family,’” Marcus said. “When she passed, it was hard on all of us.”

Anthony said the team in central supply is like family.

“When something happens, it’s the unspoken word that we’re going to do what we can to get those people what they need,” he said. “We all band together.”

Two of the brothers met their wives while working at PVH. Anthony is married to Kerri Gonzales, certified nursing assistant at the PVH ICU. And Marcus met his wife, Tatiana Gonzales, patient care assistant with the PVH surgical unit, when she worked in nutrition and their departments were next to each other.

Anthony said the people and the benefits influenced his decision to stay with UCHealth for nearly 17 years and counting.

“In my eyes, it’s a great organization to work for,” he said.