Text size:

Death of Huntington landscaper leaves family struggling

BY LAURA RIVERA | laura.rivera@newsday.com

9:03 PM EDT, September 4, 2008

Glorismel Gonzalez, left, in a family photo.

The death of a Huntington man who built his own landscaping business in pursuit of the American dream has left his wife struggling to pay for his burial and unsure of their family's future.

A father of four, Glorismel Gonzalez was killed Tuesday while cutting a tree limb on a Huntington property. Suffolk police said Gonzalez, 41, was harnessed in the tree 30 feet above the ground when a rope he was using got tangled around the tree, pinning him against it.

The weight of the falling limb crushed Gonzalez, police said.

"It's a dangerous job," said his brother, Luis Antonio Gonzalez, 49, of Gaithersburg, Md., who accompanied Glorismel to a job at the same site when the business was getting off the ground.

Since migrating from El Salvador 16 years ago, Gonzalez had earned a living as a landscaper for various employers. Two years ago, he struck out on his own, starting GMD Lawn and Garden Services in Huntington.

"At the beginning, it was very difficult because he didn't have any customers," said his wife, Maribel Gonzalez, 41, who helped by working two jobs -- cleaning houses by day, working as a cashier at Kmart by night.

As business picked up and a newborn son came into their lives, she said she stayed home with their children.

Although Glorismel worked seven days a week, he made time to nurture the dreams of his children: Briceida, 15, Jonathan, 11, Kimberly, 9, and Caleb, 2, his wife said.

"At 5 in the morning, when he got up to work, he'd wake up Jonathan and say, 'Champ, school is calling. For me, the machines are calling,' " she said, remembering how he encouraged Jonathan's goal of becoming a doctor. " 'You have to be something better than me.' "

Because Glorismel did not have life insurance, his sudden passing has strained the family's finances. Maribel has gathered part of the money for his funeral and burial, she said, althought the details are not settled yet. The family has been in touch with Pastor Alexander Treminio of Casa de Oración, Asamblea de Iglesias Cristianas in Huntington (631-745-0445).