Funeral Services for Joshua Gonzalez-Perez to be Held Today

The funeral service for a Union City man who died after being found unconscious in a trash bin the morning of Nov. 11 will be held this afternoon. 

Services for Joshua Gonzalez-Perez will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. at Mission Funeral Home, located at 22297 Mission Blvd. in Hayward, according to relatives.

The service will be open to the public, Gonzalez-Perez’s sister Amelia said.

Gonzalez-Perez, 21, was found in front of a relative’s home on 10th Street in Union City at about 6:30 a.m. He was found unconscious, slumped in a squatting position in a trash bin that did not belong at the address, relatives said.

He was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead shortly after.

The circumstances of Gonzalez-Perez’s death has left loved ones baffled. There were no signs of trauma and an autopsy is still pending, police said.

“It almost sounds like a prank gone wrong,” Jennifer Duarte, a cousin of Gonzalez-Perez, told Union City Patch last week. “I just find it weird the way he was found in the garbage can feet first.”

Since the reports of his death, many have taken to Facebook and online forums to express their condolences.

“My cousin did not deserve to die the way he did. It hurts … It’s tragic. He was an amazing person,” wrote Jalysa on Union City Patch.

The youngest of three siblings, Gonzalez-Perez’s loved ones knew him as “Pookey Bear” because of the big bear hugs he’d give his friends and family, Amelia Gonzalez-Perez said.

Family members have also established a memorial fund to help cover the cost of the funeral services.

Those who want to help can contribute to the “Joshua Gonzalez-Perez Memorial,” care of Bank of the West, account number 028884239.

Contributions can be made at any Bank of the West Branch, according to bank staff.

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