Local Maintenance Man Exhibits Love for his Work

When Jesus Gonzales was 12 years old, he packed up all he could carry on his preteen back and left his one room home in Ciudad Madero, Mexico, to begin his journey to the United States. It was a Wednesday morning, and Gonzales had told his mother he was going to the city for a day or two.

Twenty-two days later, the two—separated by over 1,000 miles—spoke on the phone. Gonzales’ mother learned from her son that he had left their house of wood and red mud to be able to provide a better life for his family one day.

Today, Gonzales not only supports his family in Mexico but also the residents of Midtown Auburn, the apartment complex in Auburn, Alabama, where he works as the maintenance man. His daily activities include fixing locks on apartment doors, refilling waste bag dispensers for residents who have dogs and performing all the other duties that keep the property looking like the “little beach community” it was designed to resemble.

“Jesus to me is the face of Midtown. Everyone knows who he is, and everyone knows he will always be there if they need anything. He has always kept this place running,” said Shelly Weathers, a resident who has lived at Midtown since 2019.

Gonzales began working at Midtown when it was only woods and a small motel. He was hired for the job by Brian Malone, one of the previous owners of the property. The two hit it off when Gonzales, who was working at a shop that sold stone, helped Malone out by giving him free samples. After a short conversation and an exchange of cell phone numbers, Gonzales found himself with a new job.

“The day that Brian called me… it was so emotional that I cried on my way home. I just can never really think in my head that I was ever going to have such a really wonderful job and have people that really care and love me,” Gonzales said.

The love Gonzales feels both for and from Midtown was best displayed to him when he underwent colostomy reversal surgery Oct. 23, 2021, that put him out of work for three months. The people of Midtown showed their support for him and his family by providing for him when he could not work.

“My roommates and I came home one day to a note taped to our door informing us that Jesus was going to have a surgery and be out of work for a while. In that moment, remembering all the ways he has helped us, we wanted to do anything we could to support him,” Molly Morris, a resident of Midtown, said.

Gonzales was hesitant to accept gift cards or tangible items, but the residents, store owners and managers of Midtown would not let him deny their help. After months of rejecting offerings from the people of Midtown, Gonzales found an envelope on the hood of his truck one day after work that contained all the money and gift cards he had turned down.

The reciprocal love of Midtown and their maintenance man was best expressed during Gonzales’s recovery time by the fact he continued to make sure his job was done even when he was not physically able to. Even while he was in the hospital, he answered phone calls from residents with concerns such as broken locks and air conditioning units in order to help them to the best of his ability.

“When I was in recovery, I would come every day to Midtown just to drive around… it is my happy place to be,” Gonzales said.

Even after Midtown underwent an ownership change in Dec. 2021, Gonzales remains the maintenance man. The dream he had as a 12-year-old boy to be able to take care of his family one day has come to completion.

He works every day alongside his wife Megan who drives the Midtown shuttle. Occasionally, his two sons and one daughter get to take a trip to Midtown with him. His mom and dad in Mexico now live in a multiple room home with their own built-in taqueria—an upgrade from the house of wood and red mud Gonzales left at age 12.

“Sometimes I’m on my phone facetiming my mom and dad, and they are just like ‘wow Jesus, you are very lucky,’” Gonzales said.