December Birthdays

Alex Riehle: December 26, 1989


Monica Riehle: December 28.1964

Sid Moulton: December 29, 1993

May all of you have a very wonderful birthday this year and a good rest of the year!

In Memory of Joe Valenzuela: 1971-2009

Joe Valenzuela

Joe with Baby Raia

Joe and baby Jesse and Grandpa Kipp

Today was a sad day. We said goodby to Joe. I thought since I do a family history blog and as far as I am aware, nobody in Joe's family or past family does, I thought I would like write a little about him. He was only 38 years old when he died.

He married my granddaughter, Felica Featherstone in my backyard in 2002. They are divorced now. Together they had two children, Raia and Jesse. They are my great grandchildren and Joe was their father and I feel the need to say a little about him even though I did not know him well.

Whenever I saw him, he was always happy and smiling and was always very friendly. He worked at Wal-Mart for a while and I would see him there. He was a musician and today, at his service, I heard his recordings for the first time and he had an excellent voice. The service was touching and song THE DANCE by Garth Brooks touched my heart. I feel for his family and a mother should never have to bury a son before she dies. I always worry that may happen to me someday and I hope I never have to live through it.

Raia and Jesse are so young to have lost their father. I do know that they were with him the day before he died and that is a good thing that got to see him before he passed suddenly alone in his apartment in Orem. I could tell by everyone who was at the service that he was greatly loved and had close family. I will miss him even though he really wasn't part of our family anymore. But Raia and Jesse will always be my family and in that regard, Joe is as well.

We will miss him greatly.

The Dance by Garth Brooks

Looking back on the memory of The dance we shared 'neath the stars alone For a moment all the world was right How could I have known that you'd ever say goodbye And now I'm glad I didn't know The way it all would end the way it all would go Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain But I'd have had to miss the dance Holding you I held everything For a moment wasn't I a king But if I'd only known how the king would fall Hey who's to say you know I might have changed it all And now I'm glad I didn't know The way it all would end the way it all would go Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain But I'd have had to miss the dance Yes my life is better left to chance I could have missed the pain but I'd have had to miss the dance