Val Wilson was born in Beaver Crossing, Nebraska in 1929. He was a bricklayer for many years with his dad, Cyril Thomas Wilson. Val graduated with a BS in Economics from Doane College in Crete, Nebraska in 1951. Val joined and loved being part of a fraternity while in college.
After college, he did a brief stint at the Naval Reserve doing odd jobs. Val traveled the country looking for dream job: journeying from Chicago to New York to New Jersey. Then in 1955, Val moved out west to California to work for the acquisitions department of Lockheed Missiles, Los Angeles.
Not satisfied with his career, he came across a course on jewelry and lapidary at San Jose State, and decided to pursue a career in Industrial Arts which he ended up getting his teaching credentials in.
It was a calling that he stayed with for 24years; teaching woodshop at Sheppard Middle School in San Jose. He loved teaching so much that he never took a sick day in all of those years. As he got older, his latest endeavor was to buy the ranch in Milpitas in 1987 and build the dream house that he and his family still live in to this day.
Val is survived by his loving wife Lidovina for almost 34 years. Val and his wife got married on August 14, 1982. Val is lovingly remembered by his wife and 2 daughters, Sherri and Brenda and son-in law Luis.
