John Valdez Obituary

John Valdez

June 1, 1955 - June 5, 2024

John Valdez, beloved husband, father, foster parent, son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin & Nino, went to his eternal home to be with his Heavenly Father on June 5, 2024.

John was born on June 1, 1955 in Santa Maria, CA to Rosie (Maria de Rosario) Solis and John Jesus Valdez. In 1963, Rosie was widowed with 4 children to care for. John's step-father Fred (Federico) Mamaligsa later joined the family when John was age 13. Fred & Rosie then had 2 more children. Later in life, John realized & appreciated the immense responsibility it took his step-father to raise 4 children that were not his own.

John and his wife Rosalie (Castillo) Valdez had known each other since 1st grade attending Guadalupe elementary schools. Rosalie remembers playing together on the slide at recess. They officially started dating at age 15 and these sweethearts married on June 12, 1976 at Our lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in their hometown of Guadalupe, CA. This union was witnessed in front of a huge gathering of family & friends. Together they raised two wonderful, strong, independent children, Cynthia & Jaime Valdez.

In addition to his immediate children, John was a proud foster parent who opened their home to over 100 children in need. He would always try and encourage others to foster because there is such a great need. He made a lasting impact on each child who came through his doors, providing love, support, and guidance. There were emergency placements who stayed as little as 1 night as well as those that stayed for years. They all held a very special place in his heart & he would often re-visit photos & videos of the kids & reminisce.

John was a man of faith and everyday he would read his bible & pray for his loved ones & anyone in need. He also sent prayers of protection & wisdom for the Police, Fire and all emergency departments who served our community, even CalTrans workers. He was a member of the Santa Maria Foursquare Church since 1994. Prior to that, he and his family were members of Abundant Grace Fellowship since 1983. It was there where his family's faith was nurtured as young Christians and fellow church members grew to be extended family.

John graduated from Ernest Righetti High School in 1974. He was a hustler from a very young age. Every morning he would get up early and head to work at the Guadalupe Chevron Gas Station before getting on the school bus. He did this to earn money to gamble with the guys at school & luckily for Rosalie he was good at it. He used his winnings to pay for their cafeteria lunches. During summers in high school, he also worked at the Guadalupe Byrd packing shed. After graduation, John worked in various fieldwork positions as well as a box stitcher & as a driver for Pritchett Trucking. Later on he worked at Arrow Automotive in Santa Maria. He was last employed at Malcolm DeMille Inc. in Nipomo. He made lasting friendships and memories everywhere he went.

In John's spare time, he loved fishing with family and friends. John is now with his buddies Jerry Jones & Bear Dominguez reeling in the biggest fishes ever. John had many fishing buddies & he was the first to introduce this hobby to his nephews, nieces and foster children. John also loved to BBQ & was always ready to grill for weddings, birthdays & other gatherings. He also enjoyed all things superheroes & spent lots of time watching anything related to his favorite characters. Grizzly bears was his favorite animal & he had his bookcase full of collectibles. He also loved instruments such as the kalimba, harmonica, Indian flutes, pan & box drums. His daughter Cynthia carried that passion for music and added guitars, ukuleles & keyboards. Cynthia took after her dad and learned to play these instruments by ear just like him. John was never one to sit idle and loved to volunteer and help at any event. He also loved to support his nieces & nephews at their sports events. He went to as many games possible just as he did for his daughter. Also, when he used to work seasonal fieldwork, you could find him helping out at the Guadalupe Headstart so he could be with his daughter every day. John was always known for his friendly smile & his willingness to help others. He is a blessing who continues to have a lasting impact & his memory will forever live on in our hearts.

John will be deeply missed by his family, friends & all who had the pleasure of knowing him. We are comforted knowing that he is finally at rest in eternal paradise. He joins all those who left before him. John is proceeded in death by his grandparents Natividad and Frances Solis, his mother Rosie Solis Mamaligsa, his biological father John Jesus Valdez, his sister Elizabeth Anne who passed at birth, his best friend Jerry Jones and many loved family and friends.

Feeling the void of his passing is his wife Rosalie Valdez whom he was married to just 1 week shy of their 48th wedding anniversary & his children Cynthia & Jaime Valdez. He also leaves his dad Federico Mamaligsa & siblings, Robert (Irene) Valdez, Teresa (Victor) Ramirez, Richard Valdez, Fred (Michelle) Mamaligsa & Brenda (Rob) Dulay. Also grieving are his in-laws, Mary Deal, Jimmy & Esther Castillo, Cookie & Judy Castillo, Alex & Linda Castillo, Carmen & Ernie Solis & Susie & Victor Valencia. John had numerous nieces and nephews as well as God children whom he loved very much. He took pride in the amount of family he had & the closeness they shared growing up.

John's family would like to thank everyone for the loving support that has been showered on them. They have been shown love from friends & family from our Guadalupe & Santa Maria communities, past & present church members, as well as family members from out of the area. The thought of leaving his family alone weighed heavily on John when he was ill. We can rest assured that he is at peace knowing that is definitely something he did not have to concern himself with.

We are honoring John's request of only having a Celebration of Life party. (Date and time to be announced)