Lucille Fern Valentine

Long time Phoenix area resident, Lucille (Mizer) Valentine, passed away March 17th in Glendale, three months shy of her 102nd birthday. Lucille was born one of seven children on a small farm in Story County, Iowa on June 26th, 1917, the same day the US Expeditionary Force arrived in France, marking America’s entry into World War One. She was not issued a birth certificate until years later because the physician that delivered her was killed in a horse and buggy accident shortly after her birth! Lucille spent her childhood in various rural locations in the Midwest before graduating from West Lafayette High School near Coshocton, Ohio in 1935. She soon met Harold Valentine, “Valley”, and the two were married on March 19th, 1938. After having her first child, the family moved to Akron where Valley went to work for Goodyear Aerospace as a machinist. The family grew by three more children in Akron where Lucille was a dedicated homemaker and became a skilled seamstress and cook. In 1967, following a job transfer, they moved west to settle in Phoenix, Arizona. Lucille and Valley were ardent travelers and enjoyed long road trips to the far corners of the US and Canada. After Valley passed at the age of 64 in 1977, Lucille settled in Glendale and developed her own brand of independence and self-sufficiency. She experimented with creative recipes, became an avid reader, and embarked on several decades of genealogical research, including trips to various parts of the country searching for clues to her family lineage. Lucille lived on her own for over 40 years, developing a tough, independent spirit that saw her still taking care of herself in her Glendale home at 101 years of age. Throughout it all, she maintained a quick, witty, sense of humor and even embraced modern technology at her home computer, often drawing on her favorite phrase, “Let’s Google it!” Lucille’s memory will forever be cherished by those who were close to her. She had an incredible journey through this life, witnessing two world wars, the Great Depression, the rise and fall of communism, putting a man on the moon, the technology boom and more. Always humble about her experiences, she would routinely sum it all up with a simple, “Been there, done that.”

Lucille was preceded in death by her husband, Valley, and daughters, Patricia Lunn and Judith Gilliam. She is survived by a son, David Valentine, daughter, Penelope Hurd, granddaughters Christine Lunn and Deborah Lunn and many other grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great, great grandchildren.

A graveside service will be held on Saturday, March 30 at 2:00PM at Resthaven Park Cemetery in Glendale, Arizona.