Valeria (Val) Towns, of Beverly Hills, Florida passed away on October 23, 2020. She was born on Sunday, March 30, 1930 to Mateus and Magadalena Okunis in Chicago, Illinois. In 1947, she was employed by the US Treasury Department and in 1950 she transferred to the US Department of the Army as a civilian employee where she worked until her retirement in April 1985. The last 15 years of her service were as Budget Analyst for the Director of Engineering and Housing at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. In May 1988 she moved from Highland Park, Illinois to Parkside Village in Beverly Hills, Florida. She was an active resident of the homeowner’s association, having been secretary of the association, as well as president of the association. She was a life member of the National Association of Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE). She attended Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church and was an active member of the Council of Catholic Women.
In 1955, she was a member of the Chicago Lithuanian Chorus “Pirmyn” and with that group joined other Lithuanian choruses from around the USA to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Asthma attacks in later years curtailed her ability to sing. She was an avid reader and loved to travel, especially on river cruises through Europe and Russia. Among her memorable cruises was a cruise on the Moldau River to the Baltic Sea island of Vitte. She cruised on the QE2, the QM2, and the Queen Victoria. In 1996, she attended the 3 Tenor Concert in London, traveled to Venice, Italy and rode on the Orient Express train from Venice to Paris. In 1999, she had the opportunity to fly on the Concorde from New York to Paris, France and travel from Paris, France to London, England on the Chunnel train. Of all the European cities she visited, Venice, Italy was her favorite. Her travel dreams were to ride the Orient Express, fly the Concorde and sail on the QE2 and to travel to Hawaii, Fiji, Tahiti, Australia, New Zealand and Europe and she was able to fulfill her dreams.
Since 1965, she was an ovarian cancer survivor.
Val was preceded in death by her husband Bernard after 21 year of marriage, and her parents, her sisters, Helen Okunis and Bernice Girdwain. Survivors include her niece Theresa Girdwain of Beverly Hills, Florida, and Theresa’s daughter Jamie Boudreau and her husband Dayne as well as her nephew, Robert Girdwain of St. Charles, Illinois and his wife Carol and their daughters Jessica Migala and her husband Chris and Alyssa Girdwain, and 2 grandnephews.
A Memorial Mass will be held at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church at a later date. Interment will be at St. Casimir Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois.
Funeral arrangements entrusted to Fero Funeral Home, Beverly Hills, Florida.
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