Ida Mae (Welsh) Gonsalves

Ida Mae (Welsh) Gonsalves, 80, of San Jose, CA entered into eternal rest November 10, 2017 at DawnView Care Home in San Jose, CA, surrounded by her family, after a long battle with Alzheimer's. A Funeral Mass took place at St. Julie Billiart Catholic Church in San Jose, CA Saturday, November 18. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to www.alz.org.

Ida was born February 25, 1937 in Waukon, the 13th child of Mary and Patsy Welsh. Eleven children survived childbirth, and three are still living: Mary Lou Cota, Lloyd (Betty) Welsh and Bernard Welsh. She is also survived by her husband of 56 years, Bob Gonsalves; three daughters, Lisa (Mark) Hanson, Lori (Shawn) Kimball and Kristi (Jeff) McCabe; nine grandchildren; 67 nieces and nephews; and countless grand-nieces and grand-nephews.

She was a graduate of St. Patrick Catholic High School in Waukon in 1955. She went to Mercy Hospital Nursing School, Class of 1958. She later earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Chapman College in 1984. She retired as a managing nurse from IBM in 2001 after 31 years with the company.

Ida "Kathy" and Bob were founding members of St. Julie Billiart Catholic Church in San Jose, CA. She was a life-long volunteer, serving at her kids' schools, Camp Fire girls, the parish and Sacred Heart Community Service.

She was a breast cancer survivor, diagnosed in 1997. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2009 and faced it with grace and courage. She will be remembered for her love of family, fashion-sense, and for always having a camera with her to keep a record of both special and silly family moments. She meticulously recorded the family history - through photographs, poems and stories. She created more than 50 family photo albums, a wonderful gift to her family. She and Bob loved to travel, and were blessed to take trips to many wonderful destinations over the years.