Rita Nowak Valdez

Rita Nowak Valdez joined the angels and saints on July 1, 2017.  She died in Albuquerque, N.M.  She was 801/4 years old.
Daughter of William and Alma (Friedman) Nowak, Rita was born on March 23, 1937.  Rita Jean Elizabeth Nowak.  She lived in Ogallala, Nebraska with her family, including 5 younger siblings, until she was 18.  She graduated with the Ogallala High School Class of 1955.  Rita held several jobs in her young days including as greeter/ticket-taker at the Ogallala theater (aha, maybe that’s where she began her love of popcorn?). In 1955 she moved to Lincoln, residing there for 3 years.  She then moved to Denver to live with friends and with her next-of-kin and loving sister, ReLayne, where they roomed together.  
In 1962 Rita met Ernest E. Valdez and the two were married in Denver on June 29, 1963. The couple lived in NM their entire married life of 54 years and 2 days (that’s 108 years and 4 days between them!). In her last week of life, Rita told Ernie many times, “I just want to make it to our 54th anniversary.”  Ernie is extremely grateful that she did!  What an accomplishment for both of them.  
In their “honeymoon years,” Rita and Ernie scraped by, but made the most of every dollar and every fun opportunity.  Upon moving to New Mexico, Rita seriously thought that beans and chili meant “from a can”!  That changed quickly when her wonderful mother-in-law, Maggie, taught her how to make Mexican food.  Blue corn/red chili enchiladas have become Rita’s specialty and Ernie’s staple for lunch. Soon after their arrival in Santa Fe, Rita attended a meeting of the New Comers Club where, that day, she and several others started a bridge group.  Rita was the last “original” member and played for over 45 years (the club still plays)!  Oh, the energy on bridge night was electric; many fun times were had, and much “information” shared among them.
By their second anniversary, Rita and Ernie had TWO precious babies (maybe she should have joined a couple more bridge groups? 😉).  Victor and Valerie are almost exactly one year apart and share the same birthday week with Rita (March 20-24!).  Vic and Val were Rita’s life.  A mother could not possibly love, nor be more proud of, her children… and Vic/Val knew it.  She was at EVERY football game, wrestling match, dance performance, doctor appointment, ceremony, celebration, etc. Summer vacations almost always included driving to Colorado to see her siblings and their families, and then on to Nebraska to see her parents, grandparents, and extended family. Of course the “snack” bag in the car was full of yummies:  cookies, chips, candy (always red licorice and Tootsie Roll Pops!), etc. – this was the case even if the family was just driving from Santa Fe to Albuquerque!  The family enjoyed many fun fishing adventures and memorable vacations, such as to Disneyland and Hawaii.  
Rita worked for Ernie, in the early days of their marriage, where she did the books and ran his law office.  She was a full-time mother while the kids were young.  When Vic and Val were at St. Michael’s High School she went to work for the company which built the new St. Vincent hospital in Santa Fe.  Upon completion of the hospital project, she began working at New Vistas, a non-profit center for independent living, where she worked for 18 years, retiring in 1999.  Rita brought fun and vitality to each job, as well as to her home, with her exuberant personality, dressing up for every holiday, and, of course, decorating for each season.  Rita was a life-long member of the Catholic church; and in Santa Fe, a member of the Guadalupe Church Altar Society for many decades.  
In 2010, Rita and Ernie moved to Albuquerque to be closer to Victor.  What a blessing that Vic, Janine and family live only a mile away!  In addition, many of Vic’s friends and neighbors were truly dear, helpful and much loved by Rita. Rita enjoyed her house in Albuquerque very much.  The back covered patio and lovely waterfall with pond provided many hours of peacefulness, as well as entertainment.  She relished meals in her beautiful kitchen.  And, boy, did she LOVE sweets:  cookies, candies, cakes, pies, suckers, etc.; she always had 2 or 3 candy bowls full of jelly beans or hard (often sticky-melted) candy in her living room.
While her daughter, Valerie, lived too far away, Rita loved to visit Val and family in California.  It never mattered to Rita what she did with her family, even just sitting around staring at each other was fine, as long as she was with them. Rita looked forward to every second with her grandchildren:  Marissa (21), Victoria (19), Nicholas (18), Erin (17), Maverick (15) and Emily (12).  She taught them how to play Rummy and cracked them up with her many “Rita-isms” (Mondee, Tuesdee…; “ahhhh fiddly-fa fa fa”… she would say). Grammy Rita cherished going on cruises, the last one being with the entire family of 12 to the Caribbean in 2013. Celebrating her and Ernie’s 50th anniversary with laughter, food, entertainment, shows, more laughs, and being surrounded by her family on a ship 24/7…NOTHING could have been better!
Rita was an avid reader (mostly fiction and romance novels).  In fact, when she had recently moved to Albuquerque, Rita was reading her book at the local Einstein Bros Bagels when she met a group of wonderful women; for the past six years, they would meet at Einstein’s once or twice a week.  In Albuquerque, Rita became quite an enthusiastic sports fan and a devoted Houston Astros aficionada because of her “pseudo grandson,” Vic and Janine’s nephew, Alex Bregman.  Baseball EVERY day did not get old for Rita as long as “her” Alex was playing (of course there was also an admiration for Jose Altuve, “what a sexy name” she would say as he stepped up to bat).  The entire Bregman clan (Sam, Jackie, Alex, Jessie and AJ) had adopted Rita as their Grammy, and Rita loved spending time with them; all holidays and many weekends were spent with Vic’s family, the Bregmans and the Kubaseks.  At least once a week, Rita’s dear friend, Randy Kubasek (and his wife, Stacy) would visit, help Rita, and have her roaring with laughter.  Her weekly ritual also included Mondee night Dancing with the Stars which Rita looked forward to, and which was also her mother’s favorite television show.  Every Fridee, Rita would get her hair done by Trish.  She looked forward to the periodic visits to Flower for mani- and pedicures.  Rita would light up a room when she walked in, whether it was with her flamboyant personality, her bright clothes, her perfect accessorizing, her newest joke, or just by dragging along “Bad Boy” which is what she named her oxygen tank.
We ALL admire Rita’s sense of humor and ability to (almost always) take a joke or a poke aimed at her.  She was quite talented with an eye trick of completely closing one eye while keeping the other eye completely open (try it – no squinting, no brow-raising – it’s not easy).  Family and friends were Rita’s passion and delight.  She connected with and was very attentive to everyone she met.  She would ask TONS of questions…not to be nosey, but because she was really interested.  She really cared.  Think about the times you were with Rita and how she’d establish eye-contact and confirm she was concerned about YOU…well, she was!  What a great joy it was to celebrate her 80th birthday in Albuquerque a couple of month ago, with 4 of her 5 siblings, her double-cousin Janice, godson David, one-and-only niece Michelle, and many other family members and local friends.
Too bad she had to spend her actual 80th birthday AND her 54th anniversary in the hospital…Rita, Rita, Rita!  However, until the end, Rita was upbeat and witty.  As we all know, her 4-year stint with pulmonary fibrosis was no fun; dragging along oxygen tanks 24/7 was, well, a drag; feeling like a “burden” was frustrating.  Suffering… she was ready to see the Lord.  On behalf of Rita, THANK YOU to those of you who were there for her these past years when she was vulnerable and needed you.  Now Rita is ailment-free and “Dancing with the <Real> Stars”!
Surviving Rita are those so very blessed to know her, and who will miss her fun-loving, joyful spirit:
Her husband, Ernest, who admits he “couldn’t have done better.” Her son Victor Valdez (wife Janine; children Nicholas, Erin, Emily) of Albuquerque, and daughter Valerie Klazura (husband James; children Marissa, Victoria, Maverick) of Los Altos, CA who were ALL her pride and joy. All of her siblings (and their spouses): ReLayne (Jim) Everett, Sheryl (Rod) Robertson, and Brad Nowak of AZ; William (Donna) Nowak of KY, and Barry (Lee) Nowak of NE.  Her sister-in-law Cordelia V. Carolus (Charlie Sanchez) of Albuquerque, and numerous other loving relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her in-laws Tito and Margaret Valdez; a sister-in-law, Jojo Abeyta, and two brothers-in-law, Howard Carolus and Ernest “Buddy” Abeyta, along with many special aunts/uncles and friends.
Thank you for visiting Rita’s page and for loving on her.  


A Visitation will be held from 6-7 PM on Thursday, July 13 at Daniels on Wyoming followed by a Rosary at 7 PM.  Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 AM on Friday, July 14 at Risen Savior Church in Alb., with Committal Service at Santa Fe National Cemetery at 3 PM. Online condolences and highlights of Rita’s 80 years may be found at www.danielsfuneral.com.

Arrangements have been entrusted to
Daniels Family Funeral Services
7601 Wyoming Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87109
505-821-0010