Valerie Jean (Stargel) Brown's Obituary
Valerie was born in Breckenridge, MN on December 14, 1955 and was the second of five children born to Gladys and Veldon Stargel. She was an avid Seahawks fan and loved her family with all her heart. She was tragically taken from those who loved her on Thursday, January 8, 2015.
Valerie worked as a housekeeper in several of the Tacoma area nursing homes during her life, and until recently was at Brown and Haley. She was her mom's constant companion over the past several years going shopping, playing at the casino, and going to auctions to find a deal. She cherished the adventures to Texas and to the ocean with her mom and sister with an occasional niece tagging along. She was always ready to try something new and was very excited about her first ever cruise to Hawaii later this year with family.
Valerie was preceded in death by her father, Veldon and her infant son Steven. She leaves her mother Gladys Stargel, brothers Dave (Trisha) Stargel, Bruce (Laurie) Stargel, Bryon (Duane Kitna) Stargel, and sister Joy (John) Boardman, and her beloved schnauzer, Minnie.
Her nephew Joshua eloquently wrote "My Aunt Valerie was the most loving person I've ever known. She thought the world of all us kids even when we may not have had such confidence in ourselves. She loved everybody despite their mistakes and shortcomings and would have gladly given the shirt off her back for any one of us. Nothing made her smile and laugh more than when the whole Stargel clan got together; family was truly the most important thing in her life. The love that she has given us is one of the greatest gifts God could have ever given us.
It's difficult to comprehend how or why such a caring and loving person was taken from our family, but we are all thankful for the life she lived. And I know that she would have loved to see the whole family together today. But I know, with all my heart, that she is sitting next to God today and that faith keeps us going; it keeps us moving forward.
May you rest in peace, Valerie Brown. I know the world would be such a better place if more people could share the amount of love that you've shared. I love you with all of my heart and I'm going to miss you terribly until it's my time to be called home."
A memorial service to celebrate Valerie's life will be held at 11:00am, Saturday, January 17, 2015 at Mt. View Memorial Park in the Garden Chapel. Let's send Valerie off in Seahawk fashion by wearing your best Seahawks attire. In lieu of flowers, please donate in Valerie’s name to the Violent Crime Victim Services in Tacoma.
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