Pete was a deeply committed Christian believer, a devoted husband of 63 years, a cherished father, and a much-loved grandfather and great-grandfather.
Aside from his family, he was especially proud of his 20 years of service to his country in the U.S. Navy. During his distinguished tour of duty, Storekeeper First Class Valenti witnessed atomic bombs in the south Pacific, chased a Russian submarine during the Cuban Crisis, traveled around the world on aircraft carriers, oilers, and ammunition ships and proudly served in Viet Nam.
After he retired from the Navy, Pete was employed by the U.S. Social Security Administration as an analyst and manager of benefit services for twenty years.
Pete was an avid gardener and especially enjoyed sharing this passion with his grandchildren; nearly every child ran barefoot between muddy rows searching for ripe berries, cucumbers or tomatoes. He enjoyed canning and cooking those garden vegetables as well as other favorite recipes such as homemade sausage and spaghetti. Other pastimes included woodworking, assembling ship models, playing cards with his family, cheering for Alabama football and traveling around the country with Pat. A major accomplishment was visiting every state, including Alaska and Hawaii.
A long-time, active member of First Baptist Church of Helena, Alabama, Pete was honored to serve his church as a Sunday School teacher, greeter and deacon for many years.
Pete is survived by his loving wife, Pat Baker-Franks Valenti of Helena; three daughters, Valerie Mason (Rich) of Madison, Alabama, Renee' Stern of Augusta, Georgia, and Tonja Jones (Jay) of Birmingham, Alabama; two sons, Derek Valenti (Pam) of Helena and Pete Valenti (Marie) of Helena; seven grandchildren, Julie Lawson (Zack), Blake May, Annie Martinez (Alex), Emma Duplechain (Corey), Aly Pineda (Jarrod), Krystin Pezent (Evan), Austin Jones; seven great-grandchildren, Chloe, Alexis, Aubree, Lucas, Alexa, Sophie Kate and Sawyer; and two brothers, Tony Valenti (Betty) of Harpersville, Alabama, and James Valenti of Helena.
Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Ridout's Southern Heritage Funeral Home in Pelham, Alabama. A Celebration of Pete's Life will begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, 2019 at First Baptist Church of Helena, and burial will follow at the Jefferson Memorial Gardens in Hoover, Alabama. Dr. Mike Shaw will officiate.
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