Obituary of Ralph A. Valerio

Ralph A. Valerio, 77, of Tombstone, Arizona, passed away Friday, December 24, 2021, at his home in Tucson.

Ralph was born in Tombstone on October 30, 1944, to Encarnacion G. Valerio and Maria Manriquez. The youngest of four children, Ralph was raised in Tombstone and attended Tombstone High School where he lettered in basketball and football. He graduated from Tombstone High School in 1963 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he learned his trade as an aircraft mechanic. He served in the Navy from 1963 to 1967 and was stationed on the USS Kitty Hawk, the Navy’s supercarrier, for most of his military career. He was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1967.

After completing his enlistment, he returned to his hometown of Tombstone and married Cindy Hendrickson in 1968. They had two daughters together. Ralph worked as an aircraft mechanic at Libby Airfield on Fort Huachuca for approximately 20 years. Throughout his career, he worked in the aerospace industry for various companies in southeastern Arizona. In 2013, he retired from Sargent Controls and Aerospace and remained in the Tucson area.

Ralph was a sports enthusiast and enjoyed watching a variety of sports with college football and basketball being his favorite. He looked forward to reading the newspaper daily to keep up with current events and enjoyed watching movies at the theater. Ralph was a proud father and grandfather and enjoyed spending time with his family.

Ralph was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Ramona Laffin, and his nephew Bobby Laffin. He is survived by his sisters Rosa Driggers and Nellie Fought; children Angela V. Warren and Deborah Valerio; and grandchildren Brian Warren, Andreas Garcia, Cameron Warren, and Marcus Garcia.

An honorary mass will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 592 E. Safford Street, Tombstone, Arizona on Saturday, February 5, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. followed by a graveside service with military honors at 12:00 p.m. Immediately following, a reception at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church Hall is planned and the family will be there to welcome friends and relatives.