Valentina Edgington

Valentina Edgington was born in a small village in Romania to Austrian parents. Forced to move back to their homeland by WWII, it brought her from Romania to Linz, Austria.. While in her early teens, she spoke four languages, Russian, Romanian, German and English. As the oldest daughter of a family of ten, she found herself occupied with raising many of her younger siblings. In 1950, "Val" met her future husband and she married Set Roger Edgington in 1951. Finding difficulty with her immigration, her husband sought help from his Iowa Congressman, Henry O. Talle, and a bill was passed in Congress that resolved the problem that faced many soldiers regarding immigration of their wives.

In early June 1951 the couple moved to Paris and then to Vienna the following year when Edgington was called to active duty as a Second Lieutenant. Movement in the military was not uncommon and Val moved 27 times in the years Colonel Edgington was in service. Approximately ten of those years, the couple were stationed in Europe. Their last Army assignment was at West Point, NY, Edgington was the Comptroller of the US Army Military Academy. During their years in the military they adopted two wonderful children, Steven and Lisa, both are graduates of the University of Oregon and now enjoy successful careers in San Francisco and Portland, OR.

Val and Roger lived many places. Germany, Austria, France, Hawaii, Kansas, Indiana, New York and of course Washington, DC. Although Val had been trained as a seamstress, she began new opportunities, painting with oils, teaching other Army wives the skills of cooking and even making hats. She made her daughter's wedding dress, which was totally unmatched to anything available. Colonel Edgington retired from West Point and the family moved to Portland Oregon in 1976. A two vehicle convoy motored across the USA with their children and two pets. A new academic environment emerged for Val. Her skills were expanded. At Portland State University, she taught wives of the faculty, to include the Deans, how to cook European food, Wiener Schnitzel was her favorite specialty. She also hosted numerous dinners as the President's wife, they continued to travel, and June of 1989 found them in Being, China with other members of their faculty. This was a reciprocal visit to four of the University presidents in China. Significantly two of the Presidents were in "house arrest" due to the student activity in Tinammon Square. Unfortunately the visitors from the United States were unaware of this mission by the students. Ironically, later, Val and her husband were in Bonn, Germany watching the large TV in the city square showing the wall in Berlin collapsing. Valentina is an extremely talented and traveled person, whether sitting in a box seat next to the Governor of New York, at a football game in West Point or giving a small child candy on a street in Mexico, or dancing with a US Senator at the Thayer Hotel at West Point. She always knew what to do and set the example for others. Although never in uniform, she served this country as a military wife and experienced many separations where she could not go, Korea, Vietnam etc.

In January 1997 the Edgington's moved to Sun Lakes and lived on East Nacoma for 25 years. During that period they traveled on cruises and visited Val's family in Austria. Recently she developed dementia and has struggled with that for two and a half years. Doctors recommended a Memory Care facility.. Shortly after her arrival there she contracted the COVID-19 Vicus. She was one of eight and one did not survive. After four months there, her husband relocated her to a Villa facility here in Sun Lakes. They enjoyed the period for about 20 months and then slowly she started to be unable to express herself and passed away at 6:55 pm January 10. No services are planned.