Elmo Gonzalez liked to sing 'La Bamba' and spurred major developments as LaPorte's mayor

LAPORTE — There perhaps has never been a mayor in LaPorte quite like Elmo Gonzalez, who died Friday at his home in Arlington Heights, Ill.

He was 98.

Gonzalez was known during his two terms as mayor from 1988 through 1995 for his work ethic and colorful, warm personality.

He is also considered the spring board for a number of major projects still paying dividends for the city, such as development of the Thomas Rose Industrial Park.

After he finished as mayor, Gonzalez didn’t retire from the workforce until the age of 85, when he was director of customer service for the Indiana Department of Transportation.

Visitation takes place from 4 to 8 p.m. CDT Friday, March 15 and 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. CDT Saturday, March 16 at Frank L. Keszei Funeral Home, 1117 Indiana Ave. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 11 a.m. CDT Saturday, March 16 at Holy Family Parish, St. Peter Church, 1101 Michigan Ave.

Famous for singing 'La Bamba'

Mayor Tom Dermody said he didn’t know Gonzalez but has learned a lot about him from listening to others who were familiar with him over the years.

“I heard so many different stories about how he was larger than life,” he said.

Former mayor Kathy Chroback described him as “very kind, very jolly, very happy. A happy guy.”

Chroback served the first four of her eight years on the city council during Gonzalez’s second term as mayor.

She said Gonzalez, with open arms, helped her learn the ropes of city government and the knowledge he passed down was a contributing factor in her climbing the political ladder to become mayor for two separate terms and LaPorte County Clerk for one term.

“He always gave me the time I needed to ask questions,” she said.

Chroback said he also had his office at City Hall open on Saturdays to listen to the concerns of citizens unable to let their feelings known during the week because of their work schedules.

In addition, she remembered him for sometimes singing the popular Latin song “LaBamba” at the end of city council meetings and other places, such as Democratic Party functions.

“He sang it a lot and he was good at it," Chroback said. "He enjoyed singing.”

Gonzalez owned two local businesses

Gonzalez was also a businessman.

He was manager and owner of Alan Furniture Mart in Michigan City when Susan Bortell first encountered him in the 1970s as a regular customer.

She later became credit manager at the store for nearly four years.

Bortell, a lifelong Michigan City resident, described him as bright, articulate and funny.

She went to high school with his surviving wife, Paula, and kept in touch with her after the Gonzalezes moved to the Indianapolis area shortly after his time as mayor ended.

She said Gonzalez treated everyone no matter what their status “with a smile, handshake or a hug. He was just a super guy.”

Bortell said she also saw him give a “stellar” performance of "La Bamba" during a campaign fundraiser when he was running for reelection as mayor.

“He did part of it in English and part of it in Spanish," she said. "He was quite the entertainer.”

Gonzalez also owned the former ES Kessler Furniture store in downtown LaPorte, which was operated mostly by his son, Steve, while he was mayor.

He ran for state auditor while the curtain was closing on his tenure as mayor.

Mayoral accomplishments

His accomplishments as mayor included development of the Thomas Rose Industrial Park and securing a state grant that made possible renovating the abandoned six-story Rumely Hotel into senior citizen housing.

Dermody said the redevelopment of the former Allis Chalmers property now known as NewPorte Landing began with the vision of what the property could become from Gonzalez.

“He was engaged in the community in so many ways," Leigh Morris, who served as mayor from 2004 to 2007, said. "He was enthusiastic and it was infectious with other people, I think,”

Occasionally, Morris, while president and chief executive officer of the former LaPorte Hospital, worked with Gonzalez on matters involving both the medical facility and the city.

Morris further described him as tireless in his pursuit of things he felt would benefit the city.

Gonzalez was employed by the INDOT when Morris, after serving as mayor, became a deputy commissioner with INDOT.

“I’ve known Elmo for a very long time," he said. "He was a wonderful family man and he was a very good mayor.”

A World War II veteran

According to his obituary, Gonzalez was born June 26, 1925, in Fort Worth, Texas, and grew up helping his grandparents with their tailoring business. He also found odd jobs, such as singing in nightclubs, to make money to give to his mother to help support him and his younger brother, Jackie.

The bombing of Pearl Harbor inspired him to drop out of high school and serve in the Navy as a radioman aboard the USS Bunker Hill aircraft carrier in the Pacific, where his ship was struck by two kamikaze pilots.

After returning home, he headed to Indiana to work in the steel mills and became politically active rallying behind local candidates who wanted better working conditions for their constituents, according to his obituary.

His political career included a stint as president of the New Buffalo School Board, according to his obituary.

Bortell said it’s difficult in words to reflect just how she truly felt about Gonzalez, but what she admired most about him was his sense of decency.

“He never failed to recognize the basic human kindness in people," she said, "and he reciprocated with the same kindness.”

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: From La Bamba to LaPorte's mayor, Elmo Gonzalez recalled fondly