Kathy Valdez

Kathy Valdez, age 64, died at Community Hospital on September 13, 2021 of kidney failure and heart complications.  Kathy was an Acquisition Specialist and worked for CDOT and the city of Grand Junction for many years.  She has also been a pastor’s wife for the last 30+ years along with her husband of 42 years, Andy Valdez. She was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, but grew up in South Jordan, Utah, where she met her husband.  They were married on September 29th  1979 and lived in Utah until 1985, when they moved to Greeley, Colorado.  They pastored at different locations throughout the states of Utah and Colorado for the Church of God of Prophecy.  They moved to the Palisade area back in 1997.

Kathy was a dedicated Christian and always put her family and friends above herself.  Family was everything to Kathy.  Her Husband, sons and grandbabies were her life.  She spent a lot of time with her mom and sister, Sandy, who was also her best friend. She loved interacting and building relationships with her church members.  On any given day you could find her taking tea or mentoring with someone. She would drop whatever she was doing to be with someone in need.  Some of her passions were real-estate, investing, homesteading, gardening, canning & beekeeping.  Some of her favorite groups were ‘Old-Fashioned on purpose’ with Jill Winger, ‘The Lost Ways’ with Claude Davis and researching holistic medicinal ways.  Kathy was an outdoor girl and loved to fish, camp, family reunion and hunt with her family.  She loved animals, they had horses, cows, chickens, pigs, and dogs on their farm.  She loved riding horses and competed in high school rodeo earning her the opportunity to go to national finals.  She was known to spend time working in her garden on their property here in Palisade. Kathy was very involved in her Indian heritage and with her extended family reunion and was very close to all her numerous cousins.

She is survived by her husband, Andy Valdez, their sons, AJ Valdez and Jacob Valdez, and two grandchildren, Aspen & Cope Valdez. She is also survived by her mother, Ellie Arnold, her sister and brother-in-law, Sandy & Rex Harman, and on her husband’s side, her father & mother-in-law, Leo & Louisa Valdez and the following brothers and sisters-in-law, Anita & Lee Samora, Tony & Benita Valdez, Shirley & Tito Castro, and David & Cindy Valdez also numerous nieces, nephews, grand nieces and nephews, cousins and many friends. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Monica Krystell and grandparents, Otto and Mary Arnold, Jim and Rose Clarke, also her father Mike Arnold and brother-in-law, Eddie Valdez.

Her viewing will be at Browns Funeral Home in Grand Junction on Thursday, September 23rd from 5 – 8pm and the Celebration of Life will be at Jubilee Family Church of God in Grand Junction on Friday September 24th at noon, with a dinner to follow.  Flowers can be sent to Browns Funeral Home, 904 N. 7th, Grand Junction, CO  81501