Sixto Jesus Gonzalez was born in Cuautepec, Hidalgo, Mexico in 1968. He was a proud travieso– a mischief-maker, jokester, a boy always seeking adventure. His childhood was wild and free, filled with sisters to prank and cousins who were built-in best friends. Going and playing in soccer matches dominated family gatherings and table conversations. Like many kids in his neighborhood, having a soccer ball was a dream but to him it was so much more– it was his first love– joyful, relentless, and sacred.

This love and passion for the game was what led him to play for both Pachuca's youth teams and the Titanes of Tulancingo, a 3rd division of the country's National League. After high school, he decided he wanted to study to be an architect. When he realized that paying for his schooling was causing his family to struggle, he made a different kind of journey– across the border to build a life in the U.S. for himself and his family in Mexico.His first meal in the U.S. was ½ a McDonald's Filet O' Fish sandwich, which he split with a stranger. It wasn't a feast. But it was a beginning.

He eventually found himself in Los Angeles, CA where he hustled in both work and life– manual jobs, long hours, and the occasional salsa club on the weekends. His entrepreneurial spirit turned labor into livelihood, eventually owning his own meat business in Los Angeles. He became a father in 1993 to Jonathan Gonzalez.

Soon after, Sixto met Elizabeth, the love of his life, at a grocery store– he at the meat counter, she at the register. They married in 1996 and moved to Colton, where they started a life together. They made a bet on naming their children: Sixto would name the girls and Elizabeth would name the boys. They had three daughters: Estefania, Victoria, and Alexandria, all named by Sixto.

His love for his family mirrored his love for the game of soccer- deep, loyal, and loud. During this time he did a ton of different manual jobs, doing whatever he had to do to provide for his family. After driving trucks and working as a restaurant supplier for years, he found his way back to his first love– soccer.

He started (reluctantly) refereeing his daughter's recreational soccer games. Then in 2007, he began coaching with AYSO Redlands, where he was able to share his passion for soccer with kids, including his own daughters. In 2009, he was asked to coach Aquinas High School Boys Varsity Soccer team. As the Head Coach, he grew the program from a group of multi-sport athletes who used the soccer season to stay in shape and only won a few games a year, into an elite program that won the CIF State Championship in 2018 and sent many players into college soccer.

He always said that he would stop coaching after certain players graduated but he was loyal to a fault, and he ended up coaching Aquinas High School soccer for 16 years and continued to advocate for player scholarships.

Sixto became a pillar of the California Soccer League, embracing the diversity of the sport and learning the deeper meaning of teamwork and unity. He obtained his USSF B license and won some of the most prestigious tournaments and awards like Surf Cup, Nomads, Thanksgiving, SCDSL, CIF Championships, and Ambassador League Coach of the year in 2018. Separate from the high school, he built a private coaching business and coached boys and girls in club soccer for decades.

Coaching was truly one of the most rewarding things he did. His players found in him a mentor who taught them that the beautiful game of soccer reflects life– the wins, the losses, the redemption arcs, and everything in between.

In 2017, 25 years after crossing the border, Sixto became a U.S. Citizen. It was one of the proudest days of his life. "The United States has given me so many opportunities to become a better human being, I've lived my whole adult life here," he said. He celebrated with the same sandwich he first shared when he first crossed the border—a Filet-O-Fish, now his own tradition.

Amidst all the coaching, he was a one of a kind human, with such a deep commitment to living life to the fullest. Sixto danced through life– quite literally. At weddings, quinceañeras, and even stealing the spotlight at middle school dances. He was a style icon, who took pride in his appearance. Anytime his family commented on his fashion he'd say either, "I make it look good" or "It's not the (insert clothing item)" and wink.

He was joy, in motion.

And the man could not stop moving. As a coach, he naturally enjoyed pushing his limits– biking and hiking in his free time and running several marathons (only in LA because in his view, it was the best city in the world). He adored the ocean, swimming in any pool of water, and watching sunsets and sunrises, often running to go greet them.

Sixto, with his wild and free childhood running through his veins, was still a TOTAL goofball and a kid at heart. He preferred all of his vitamins in gummy form, just because! Disney and other animated movies found its way into his everyday vocabulary. He carried the "lucky" cricket from Mulan and after his youngest was done playing with her marvel figurines, he kept Black Panther and Iron Man for himself. He relished any game of dominos he could play and had THEE best luck with Yahtzee that drove his family crazy. As a previous restaurant supplier and butcher, he was such a foodie– grilling for his family, recording videos of his morning coffee or his most recent tequila purchase, trying new restaurants, bartending family events, and always always leaving room for his sweet tooth (egg tarts, boba, and donuts reigned supreme).

Sixto never became an architect by title, but he built a home, stitching together a life that reflected the warmth he gave and felt around him. He fixed and DIY'd everything (even when he didn't do it perfectly!) He created the soundtrack to his family's life– blasting both Spanish music and Frank Sinatra the second he woke up. He developed a green thumb, growing a beautiful backyard garden that he was proud of as well as several indoor plants to help his family "breathe better."

You see, deep in his bones, he truly lived what he preached– that life and soccer were very much the same. His love for the game was only rivaled by his love for his family. He was the glue. The rhythm. The person who made sure his family was ready for the day and whatever the day threw at them– with lunch, a photo of the backyard, a motivational word.

Sixto Jesus Gonzalez lived the life he dreamed of. He said it all the time– "Wow, I have a great life!" – and meant it. He lived out loud and he will be missed, not only by the family he had but by communities across soccer fields, generations, and international borders.

Que descanse en paz.