He was born in Port Orford, Oregon, the youngest child born to Lucille and Harry Valentine.  He moved to Manteca, California as a teenager and attended Manteca High School –class of 1953.  At the age of 17 he joined the Army and served during the Korean War.  He was stationed in Germany and Fort Riley, Kansas.  He met Joyce Bledsoe in St. Joseph, Missouri on a blind date and married her within the year.  They started a family and moved back to Manteca to settle down where they resided for the remainder of their days.  He worked for Johns-Mansville (JM) in Stockton for over 40 years and retired in 2000.
   He was an avid hunter and fisherman and spent as much time as he could in the great outdoors.  He spent many hours bonding with friends and family, always imparting his love and respect of nature.
   He is preceded in death by his wife Joyce, and his sisters Evelyn and Lillian.  He leaves behind two sons, Jerry Valentine of Mountain Ranch and Jon Valentine of Manteca and one daughter, Martha Rough of Manteca.  He also leaves behind seven grandchildren, four great grandchildren and many close friends.  His influence in the lives of his family and friends was tremendous and he will be forever sorely missed.
   Services will be held Monday, August 31st at 1:30pm at the VA Cemetery in Dixon California. Celebration of life will follow at Finley’s Pub and Grill, 10477 S. Airport Way in French Camp.
   Anybody wishing to make a donation to Jim’s favorite charity in his name, please visit http://lakotachildren.org/donate/ or any Native American charity of your choice.

Manteca (Calif.) Bulletin
Wednesday, August 26, 2015