Josephine H Valdez

September 1, 1923 - September 18, 2015

Josephine Henley Valdez , beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother,

surrounded by her 5 children and loved ones departed this life on Friday Sept. 18,

2015. She was 92.

Josie was born Sept. 1, 1923 in Atencio, New Mexico to Fidencia Pacheco Trujillo

and Jose Vivian Valdez. Due to Fidencia’s poor health and baby Josie’s fragile condition, she was raised by her aunt and uncle, Lucresia and Donisio Henley of Clayton, New Mexico. She was known as Josie Henley throughout her school years. She attended Clayton High School, graduating in 1942. She was allowed to enroll in the Regina School of Nursing in Santa Fe, NM while still in high school, graduating in May of 1945.

After earning her nursing degree she and many of her friends were

immediately granted a 1-A classification and accepted into the Cadette Nurse Corp. However, the war ended a few months later and she never had to serve. She spent 2 years in internship at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Albuquerque, then worked at the Miner’s Hospital in Raton, NM before she married the love of her life.

Josie met the dashing Anthony Valdez, of nearby Folsom, some years prior at a rodeo in Clayton, NM when he was on his way to Denver, CO to enlist in the Navy .

Their romance and courtship endured the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the sinking of Tony’s ship the USS Helena CL-50 in the Battle of Kula Gulf 1943. When the war ended in 1945 Josie and Tony continued their courtship and were married June 25, 1949 at St. Francis Catholic Church in Clayton, NM.

Together they embarked on a lifetime of travel with the United States Navy. While Tony was stationed at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York, two children were born. Donna Eileen in 1951 and Pamela Josephine in 1952. Josie continued to work as a nurse at the Brooklyn Cumberland Hospital.

Their tours took them to New Orleans for a time and then they were transferred to

San Diego, California in 1955. Josie and Tony bought a home in National City, CA and then added 3 more children to the Valdez family. Anthony Stanley was born in 1958, Lucretia Ann in 1959, and Corrina Louise in 1966. The children attended parochial school at St. Mary’s in National City, St. Michael’s in Paradise Valley, and St. Rose of Lima in Chula Vista. Thereafter, all five attended Marian Catholic High School in Imperial Beach, CA.

From 1956 to 1971 Josephine worked at Chula Vista Community Hospital. From 1971 until her retirement in 1986, she received the utmost satisfaction from working at the Naval Medical Center at Balboa, caring for newborns in the Well Baby Nursery.

While in National City, Josie made many friends and belonged to the Violet Club,

the St. Mary’s Sewing Club, the Legion of Mary, and the Blue Army. In 1997, Josie and Tony moved to Santee, CA where they lived out the rest of their retirement years. They were active members of Guardian Angels Catholic Church in Santee.

Josie had many hobbies, including quilting, crocheting, embroidering, making doll clothes, and various arts and crafts. She also made turquoise jewelry, and enjoyed shopping for jewelry everywhere she went. Josie loved to dance at family weddings, travel to the mountains to collect rocks, or find a creek to sit mid-stream.

Josie was an avid quilter for many years and left a legacy of quilts to her children,

grandchildren and great-grandchildren. All family members have at least one

“Grandma Quilt”.

Josie loved being outdoors, tending plants, roses, and the apple tree in her garden. She enjoyed many trips to Las Vegas with friends and relatives, which later became a traditional birthday adventure with her 4 daughters. Her favorite vacations included road trips to visit relatives in New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming, and she enjoyed bringing the grandchildren along. On those trips you would often find Josie and Tony stopping to shop in the “trading posts” and pawn shops along the way.

Josie and Tony belonged to the Pearl Harbor Survivors Carnation Chapter of San Diego, and traveled with the club and family members to the Punch Bowl in Hawaii for the 45th and 50th Anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. With their daughter Corrina, Josie and Tony fulfilled a lifetime dream to visit The Vatican, including Mass with Pope John Paul II. They also visited various shrines to the Blessed Mother throughout Europe.

Josephine, known as Mom, Grandma, or GG, loved her family dearly, and cooked for them readily. A family favorite was her New Mexico-style stacked enchiladas, sweet rice, and red chili. Josie also kept alive the family’s traditional recipes for empanadas and beef tamales.

Josie’s favorite times of the year were autumn and the Christmas Season. She would take trips with her daughters to the Harvest festivals, enjoying overnight stays at hotels known for their beautiful Christmas lights and decor. She also loved genealogy, and spent countless hours sharing stories of the family’s long history.

Josephine was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Anthony Joseph Valdez, who died on Veterans Day, Nov. 12, 2001, her parents (biological) Jose and Fidencia Valdez of Ft. Collins, CO, (adoptive) Donisio and Lucresia Henley of Clayton, NM , brothers Louie, Mike, Jess and Edmond, sisters Mary Olivas and Lucy Cottle. Primos Hermanos Lito Baros and Frank Aragon, and sisters Rosie Qunitana, and Orcelia Henley Hampsten.

She is survived by her five children: Donna (Bob) Valdez of Santee, Pamela (Jerry) Costello of Santee, Anthony ( Suzan) Valdez of Divide, CO, Lucretia Valdez of Santee, and Corrina (Scott) Allison of Monrovia CA. 15 grandchildren , 24 great-grandchildren, one brother, Jacob Valdez of Cheyenne, WY, and all those grandma quilts!

Josephine enjoyed a long and beautiful life, and her family has been blessed to share it with her. Always with a camera in her hand, Josie left behind some 80

photo albums and scrap books that tells her life story. Gone from our midst but never gone from our hearts, with every photo or memory of her, we continue our lives with reminders of her everywhere. Her love for her family, and our love for her endures.