Valerie Ann Tuttle

Born in Newark, N.J., Valerie Ann Tuttle learned at a young age that life can be an adventure and that she could influence people in a positive way during her journey. She would go on to influence many with her affable spirit, welcoming attitude, and open mindedness. Valerie attended public schools in Newark, graduating from West Side High School in 1965, before she left home for Franklin College, a small liberal arts school tucked in the cornfields of Indiana. There she earned an undergraduate degree in English. She became an active member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

Returning to New Jersey, Valerie went on to earn a Master’s degree in English from Seton Hall. She began her long career and life’s work in public service as a social worker at the New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities. But the desire for adventure beckoned her in 1973 to move to Atlanta, where she earned a graduate degree in social work at Atlanta University, and devoted herself to the mental and spiritual well-being of people in need and on the margins. Valerie held various positions as a service provider, manager and program and policy specialist for 35 years with the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities and Department of Human Resources, working in the areas of mental health, juvenile justice, adoption, and child welfare. She additionally served in the private sector with the Devereux Treatment Network and Families First working to develop therapeutic treatment homes which was one of her passions. Her work extended beyond her professional endeavors to her personal life; she also guided and mentored many people around her.

Along the way, Valerie became an adoring mother to her daughter, Lauren, passing on to her a thirst for life’s excitement, an unwavering desire for learning, independence, and a generosity of spirit. When Lauren was just six, for example, mother and daughter took a trip to England and France that epitomized Valerie’s curiosity for life and the world. They were separated from their traveling companion and Valerie’s dear friend, Gerri, before the dawn of cell phones. Somehow they made their way from a tiny town in England to the train station where they had lost Gerri, with no car and only their wits, laughing all the way.

Valerie led a joyful life, filled with the simple things that made her happy. She loved reading, writing, traveling, cooking, discussing politics with her friends, and new age philosophy. She was gifted with a poetic voice and prodigious heart. The magnetism that drew so many people close to her remained as strong as ever. On a recent Sunday, she wrote one of her communiqués to the world, lifting us all onto higher ground:

Sunday Blessings! For those who feel dimmed, I wish you radiance. For those who are tired, I wish you abundant energy. For those who have physical health problems, I wish you healing. For those who are sad, I wish the cause to be lifted and joy to be its replacement. Surrender, trust, and gratitude are essential for the miracles we seek. Eat and drink healthy things, play, give, dance, sing, show gratitude, love and pray. Everything is going to be alright. Truly. I love you.

In these difficult moments, Valerie would surely remind us to receive this wisdom.

She leaves to celebrate her homecoming many family members, friends, colleagues, and a loving daughter, Lauren.