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Bogotá Colombia Temple President José Luis González Gutiérrez Dies at 67

José Luis González Gutiérrez
José Luis González Gutiérrez and his wife, Mónica Del Carmen Buitrago de González. © 2020 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
      

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By Aubrey Eyre, Church News

José Luis González Gutiérrez, president of the Bogotá Colombia Temple, died on Friday, September 18, 2020. He was 67 years old. He and his wife, Mónica Del Carmen Buitrago de González served as the president and matron of the Bogotá Colombia Temple since July 2017.

Prior to his calling as temple president, President Gutiérrez served as a counselor in the Colombia Medellín Mission presidency, a former Area Seventy, president of the Perú Missionary Training Center, president of the Costa Rica San José East Mission, a stake president and as a district and branch president.

He was born in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia, to Manuel Felipe González and Martha Gutiérrez on January 10, 1953. Before retiring and dedicating his time to the service of the Church, President Gutiérrez worked as a mechanical engineer and production manager for Magom.

He and his wife, Sister González, married on July 18, 1980, and later were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on November 3, 1984. They were married for 40 years and have three children — José Alejandro, Natalia and Luis Miguel. Sister González was also born and raised in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia. Her parents are Jorge Mario Buitrago and Mariela Jaramillo.

Following his father’s death, President Gutiérrez’ oldest son, José, said, “I was at peace knowing that he had lived, grown, learned, progressed, enjoyed, shared, helped, influenced, served, loved, consecrated, inspired and that he had done his best. He was a great husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, cousin, uncle and friend. He was always known for his relaxing, loving and pacifying influence. He leaves behind an immeasurable legacy of love and faith that transcends his family, his city and the countries in which he lived. His legacy and influence will last for generations and go beyond the hundreds of lives he touched. He dedicated his life to following Jesus Christ. He has touched and served hundreds and thousands of people and his legacy will live forever.”

Roberto Oscar Pitarch and his wife, María Cristina López Pitarch, were called in April to succeed President Gutiérrez and Sister González as president and matron of the Bogotá Colombia Temple and began their service in October, following President Gutiérrez’s passing.

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