My Original Valentine Leaves the World

This is the obituary for my father that ran in my hometown newspaper on Valentine's Day --- quite an irony. This has been a strange week --- the ice storm on Valentine's Day gave me a good excuse to stay home and just sulk. Next week will be better. Until then, I wanted to share this:

John J. "Tino" Valentine

John J. "Tino" Valentine, 89, of 641 Evergreen Road and a resident of Pinecrest Manor, died Monday, Feb. 12, 2007, at the Pinecrest Manor after a lengthy illness. He was born Dec. 14, 1917, in St. Marys, son of the late William and Minnie Cable Valentine.

John J. "Tino" Valentine

On Oct. 16, 1948, in St. Mary's Church, he married Mary Ann Werner, who preceded him in death on April 15, 1996.

He was a lifelong resident of the area and was a graduate of St. Marys
Public High School, class of 1936. He was a self-employed carpenter. He
was a member of the Queen of the World Church and a veteran of World
War II having served in the Army Corp of Engineers in the South Pacific.

He is survived by five daughters, Kathleen Valentine of Glouster,
Mass., Ann, Mrs. Andrew Neubert of St. Marys, Lisa, Mrs. Douglas Bretz
of Coudersport, Christine, Mrs. Will DeNayer of Vandergrift and Beth,
Mrs. Casimir Pellegrini of Pittsburgh; two sons, Wayne W. Valentine of
St. Marys and Matthew J. Valentine and his wife, Linda of Monroeville;
a daughter-in-law, Donna Valentine of Kersey; 17 grandchildren; five
great-grandchildren; and a brother, Thomas Valentine and his wife, Mary
Rita of St. Marys.

Besides his wife and parents, he was preceded in death by a son, John
K. Valentine; four sisters, Viola Struble, Helen Wolf, Bonita Marrone
and Theresa (Tressie) Cuneo; and two brothers, William Valentine and
Henry "Burr" Valentine.

A Mass of Christian Burial for John J. Valentine will be celebrated in
the Queen of the World Church on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 10 a.m. with the
Rev. Michael Ferrick and the Rev. Kurt Belsole as concelebrants. Burial
will be in St. Mary's Cemetery.

Full military rites will be accorded by the St. Marys Servicemen's Burial Detail.

Visitation is at the Lynch-Radkowski Funeral Home on Center Street on Friday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m.

Memorials, if desired, can be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation,
6931 Arlington Road, Bethesda, MD 20814; The American Diabetes
Association, 1701 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria VA 22311; or the
American Cancer Society, Elk Unit, 117 N. Michael St., St. Marys, PA
15857 .