Mass of Christian Burial for Darlene J. Valades, 83, Sturgis, will be held at St. Martin's Chapel in Sturgis on Monday, June 23, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. with Father Arnold Kari officiating. Christian Wake Service with rosary will be held, on Sunday, June 22nd at 7:00 p.m., (visitation 6:00-8:00 p.m.) at Kinkade Funeral Chapel in Sturgis. Internment will be in the Black Hills National Cemetery immediately following the funeral.

Darlene Joyce Valades was born in Highmore, SD, on May 30, 1931, to Lloyd and Wilma (Leafgreen) Houdek. She moved with her family to Sturgis in 1946 where she graduated from St. Martin's Academy in 1949. She received a scholarship to Mount Marty College in Yankton, but chose to go instead to the national College of Business where she not only graduated in 1950, but also met her future husband.

On September 10, 1951, she and Salvador (Chuck) Valades were married in Edgemont, SD. They lived in Sturgis for a time and then moved to Fort Meade where they lived until 1975 when they moved to Blucksberg Mountain Estates. In 2001, they moved into Sturgis.

In 1971, Mrs. Valades graduated from Black Hills State College and taught part time at National College and at the Meade School District. The next year she started teaching at Western Dakota Technical Institute and did so until her retirement in 1990. She was a member of Vocational Associations on the local, state, regional and national levels.

After her retirement, she became active in parish work at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. After 3-1/2 years of classroom work, she was commissioned by Bishop Chaput as a Lay Minister and was involved in the CCD program. She also established and coordinated the Homebound Visitation Program. Later she coordinated the St. Francis Funeral Lunch Program for ten years. She was also an Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister, Lector and Team Leader for funeral lunches. She was a life Auxiliary member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veterans.

Darlene passed away Tuesday, June 17, 2014, at Rapid City Regional Hospital.

Survivors include her husband, Chuck, and three children: Vince and his wife, Karen Valades, and their three children; Joel, Brenna Nienke (Rye), and Jeremy of Fort Collins, CO; Tina and her husband, Ralph Tullberg, of Winchester, Massachusetts; and Vance and his wife, Annie, of Colorado Springs, CO, and their children; Matt of Pittsboro, NC, Maggie of Orlando, FL, and Joel of Colorado Springs; and great-granddaughter, Scarlet Anderson, of Colorado Springs.

She was preceded in death by her parents; Lloyd Houdek, Wilma (Houdek) Mashburn and Ray Mashburn; one brother, Dick Houdek; and sisters, Bette Winter and Beverly Tarrant.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established to the Restoration of St. Martin's Chapel in Sturgis.

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