Joseph D. Valtierra

Joseph “Joe” Dennis Valtierra passed away peacefully at his home in Stockton, CA on August 18, 2019. He was born on October 5, 1923 at St Joseph’s Hospital in Stockton, CA to Jose Dioisio Valtierra and Maria S. Calderon originally from Silao Guanajuato, Mexico. His devotion to his family and his firm belief in God supported him in his life and ultimately gave him peace.

Born and raised in Stockton, Joe graduated from Stockton High School and worked on the Naval ships at the Pollack shipping yards before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps on April 1, 1943. He was trained at Electrical Mates School, a US Naval Training Station in Newport, RI and then served in WW2 as an airplane electrician from 1943 to 1946. After his discharge in July 2, 1946 from the Marines, Joe attended the Electrical Apprentice Training School in Stockton before graduating in May 1951. He worked as an electrician for many years at Hild Electric, Home Wiring and Action Electric the family owned business. Joe retired from the electrical business to take care of his loving wife Helen until she passed peacefully on 5/6/2001.

Joe was blessed with a large and loving family. In 1943, he met his loving wife while they both were serving in the military on the east coast. They married on August 10, 1946 and had seven children which they raised with disciple and humility. He often took them on long family trips to see the natural beauty in many states. From the very beginning, he dedicated his children to God and encouraged them to explore the beauty of the gospels, leading his eldest son, David, to become a Catholic priest. Joe had a love of sports, gardening, reading and was a storyteller at heart. He was a kind and soft-spoken man and always made time to answer a question or solve a problem, no matter how small. He is dearly missed by his loved ones, who celebrate the fact that he is at peace with his creator.

Preceded in death by his wife Helen, siblings Luis, Anita, Cynthia, Juanita, Jane, Theresa, son Fr. David Valtierra and grandson Andrew Sherwood. Joe is survived by his sister Christina Ochoa; children Anthony, James, Mary, John, Tom and JoAnne; 9 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great grandchildren.