Kayla Celeste Gonzalez

Kayla Gonzalez, 16, of Topeka, passed away on August 30th, 2017.

KitKat is survived by her mama, Sharon Bedolla, of Topeka; her father, Rocky Gonzalez, of Emporia, KS; as well as her extended family. She will also be missed by her special puppy, BumbleBee.

She was welcomed into heaven by her maternal grandmother, Oralia Ramirez.

A celebration of Kayla's life will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, September 8th, 2017 at the Penwell-Gabel Southwest Chapel, 3700 SW Wanamaker Road, Topeka. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. The casket will remain closed.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Penwell-Gabel Cemetery & Mausoleum, 3616 SW 6th Avenue, Topeka, KS 66606 to be put towards a permanent marker for Kayla.

To leave a special message for Kayla's family, please visit the guestbook below.


A letter from mama:

My sweet and dear KitKat,

As I stand here today, I can't help but think about the first day we met. Now, I know you know this story, though I am going to share it anyway. It was a Sunday afternoon when the pain in my back was hard to bear. Even then, I went to church to listen to God's message. The pain wouldn't go away so I called my mother and she told me to rush home. The pain came every 5 minutes, then every 3 minutes, and after 16 hours of intense labor, on Monday, April 23, 2001, at exactly 1:03 am, a beautiful baby girl was born… my biggest blessing! Every year I told you this story. I would crawl into your bed, wake you up, and you had to hear it for the last 16 years. You were not happy, as you really like to sleep, but like a good little girl that you are, you would let me tell you our story.

I made a movie for you this week, something I did often for your birthdays. This time was bit different. I got see our life together. All your birthday parties with big piñatas, until you were too cool for that and you just wanted to hang with your friends. I was still there watching you like a hawk. I used to make fun of you because I would tell you that your birthdays were my moments that I was celebrating giving birth to you. That kind of bit me in the butt because on Mother's Day you would say it was your moment, because without you, I wouldn't be a mom. Always trying to outsmart me. My little stinker.
While going through your pictures, I also found 7 years' worth of dance pictures. Jazz, Ballet, Tap, you name it. I remember every dress rehearsal, every performance, every costume, which I believe we still have. You liked hanging out with your friends, but when it came to dancing, it was all up to your mood. My little ballerina.

You also played every sport under the sun: T-ball, soccer, volleyball, track, and basketball. You kept yourself in shape and I ran around after you because it was unacceptable for me to miss a game! My tiny Speedy Gonzalez, basketball is your thing. You tried so hard to make sure you made the team every year and you succeeded! My little athlete.

As you became a T-West Charger, your talents expanded to singing. Mr. East is one of your favorite teachers and when I asked why you liked him your response was, "He's just cool mom". You often said, choir was your favorite class. You would sing everywhere: to the radio, to yourself, to me. We often teased each other about what type of music to listen to. You would say we were on "opposite" genres but our playlists are very similar because, well you know, I LOVE every song but secretly you do too. You just always wanted to give me a hard time. My little singer.

You also became an active member in ROTC, but I think it was more about being close to Sgt. Romero than the program itself. Wearing your uniform was not your favorite, nor drills at 5:45am; to which we were often late. Despite it all, you just couldn't let Sgt. Romero down because you wanted to make him proud.

As far as your hobbies are concerned, photography is definitely your thing. It is something you wanted to do for a living - which I whole-heartedly supported. You started taking pictures your sophomore year in Digital Photography and you took a special interest. Then, you began taking pictures for me at many school events where you met several of my colleagues. My colleagues were so kind to take you under their wing and help you enhance your talent. You love taking pictures. As with everything else, we also teased each other about who had more pictures published. We did the count, but let's keep that between you and me. My little photographer.

You definitely keep yourself active and productive, though you also make time to relax. Spending time with your dad was something you always looked forward to. You two have a special bond. You got your nose and your silliness from him. I always told you that you had the best of both worlds. You were a big sister at dad's, but also an only child with me. You got to travel and see the world, but also the comfort of a place to set roots. You have your mama's adventurous and independent spirit but also your dad's sense of family. The best of both worlds.

As I look back into our incredible memories, I feel blessed to be your mama. From the moment we met until forever, you are and will always be, my biggest blessing. I love you more than all the tacos in the world, more than Batman loves Gotham, and baby, it has always been my pleasure to let you have the last piece of cheesecake.

I'm proud of you, I appreciate you, I love you, sleep with the angels baby. En nombre del Padre, del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo. Amen.

Love,
Your mama.