Henry Valdez Maldonado

Henry Valdez Maldonado was blessed with an abundance of leadership qualities. It would be accurate to say that this man was an outstanding luminary and that his natural abilities served him well. He knew with certainty how he wanted to set priorities in all aspects of his life. He struck those who knew him as the kind of person who awoke in the morning with a clear sense of exactly what he expected from his day and how to set about accomplishing those goals. Henry was a man who definitely liked order and was most comfortable with an organized and structured lifestyle. When this climate was absent, Henry would set about immediately to create it.

Henry was born on October 16, 1943 at Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. His parents were Jose and Josefina Maldonado. Henry was raised in San Antonio, Texas. Henry was brought up to be reasonable in his actions and was taught to use his intellect wisely. He was an honest and straightforward child, traits that reinforced his self-confidence. Even at a young age, Henry was credited with having a positive influence on those around him.

The positive atmosphere that Henry generated spread to his family. Henry was raised with three siblings. He had brothers Joe Oscar, Robert and Richard. Henry served as a catalyst within the family. He often found himself in the role of providing fair solutions to those sibling disputes. In every family activity, Henry was able to demonstrate his uncommon logic and skill at building compromise.

Henry's enthusiasm for learning and the personal energy that enthusiasm generated led to his exhibiting leadership qualities early on in his childhood. He liked to see things executed properly and showed a skill for taking control of situations that were drifting out of control. At the same time, he was willing to experiment with different approaches as he worked a plan towards a solution. As a young boy, he took part in baseball. In his spare time he liked to collect comic books and baseball cards.

When it came to academics and school, Henry's organizational skills reaped dividends. Henry was able to create a system for getting his class work done in a proper and timely manner. With a strong ability to analyze his schoolwork and assignments, he could apply a practical, common sense approach completing his studies. He showed a natural curiosity in the manner in which he tackled new types of problems and would regularly challenge his own reasoning ability in finding solutions. He attended Lanier High School up to 9th grade. He enjoyed some courses more than others and developed favorite classes and teachers.

In a group of friends and acquaintances, Henry was typically the first person to take the initiative to go up and greet someone new. That quality made him very approachable by others throughout his life. This same quality brought Henry the reward of many friends. Maintaining loyalty to those friends was a trait that came naturally to Henry. He believed that he should treat others in a fair manner, in the same way he wanted to be treated. Henry also showed a great deal of appreciation for the accomplishments of his friends. While growing up, some of his best friends were Sony. Later in life, he became friends with Sal and Mary Mercado. Later here at home had a lot of friends, Al, Ralph, Richard, Joe, Art, Nick and many more.

As Henry knew in other aspects of his life, he had a clear vision of what he sought in a relationship and worked hard to achieve it. On December 14, 1963 Henry exchanged wedding vows with Irma Esquivel Martinez at San Antonio Court House in San Antonio, Texas. Irma was a significant part of his life, and it wasn’t necessary for Henry to be overly sentimental or expressive about it for others to be aware of their mutual devotion. Henry's secret to success was that he always kept the lines of communication open in the marriage and applied the important skill of being a good listener.

Family and children were important to Henry, even if he didn’t always show it. Henry was blessed with three children, two sons, Henry Jr. and Steve and one daughter Debbie Lynn. They were also blessed with eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren, Justin, Raylene, Chelsea, Tyler, Lyanna, Kalynn, Hunter, Brody James, Aubrey and Adrianna. Henry was able to keep order in the family by using the same efficient and straightforward methods with the family as he did at work. Henry rarely made a scene when it came to discipline. Instead, he was subtle and patient in his dealings when teaching the children right from wrong.

At work Henry was viewed as a natural leader. He could marshal all of the available resources, including personnel and materials, in order to meet virtually any objective. He was great at developing strategies and made maximum progress with little wasted effort. Henry was also adept at uncovering new and more efficient ways of getting things done. He was able to establish and meet objectives and schedules through long range planning and was always able to keep the big picture clearly in sight. Although Henry might have been described by some as an overachiever, he was without question a dedicated and diligent employee. His primary occupation was sheet metal machinist. He worked until 1990, becoming disabled after a work related injury.

Not only did Henry find pleasure in pursuing his various hobbies, he also enjoyed the discovery and research involved in learning about them. His skill at problem solving had a positive influence on these activities as well. His favorite pursuits were fishing, camping and watching old movies.

No matter what the activity was, Henry had the ability to motivate others. This talent influenced his participation in sports, too. He sought out the possibilities in a competitive situation, and he stayed cool and calm under pressure. He relished the stimulation of the action and energy associated with sports. Recreational sports included coaching baseball for 2 sons in Little League. He was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed following his favorite events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were Dodger baseball and Chicago Bears football.

Henry was a man who took pride in upholding his beliefs. Politically, Henry was a supporter of the Democratic Party.

Henry lived his life guided by a well-defined set of beliefs. His faith and religion were important aspects of those beliefs. He was a member St. Louise de Marillac in Covina for 33 years. During that time, he was a strong believer in Christ and read his bible all the time and attended mass every Sunday.

Traveling, especially vacations, was another way for Henry to apply his exceptional leadership and organizational skills. He liked exploring different places but also enjoyed designing and scheduling the trips in advance. He had real talent for developing the perfect itineraries. Favorite vacations included going to Laughlin, Nevada to gamble a little and back home to visit in Texas.

Henry was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of Henry's favorites was Pepper, a Shihtzu dog. They were best friends for 6 years.

When Henry's retirement finally came in 2008 after being disabled, he was well prepared. He had worked out all of the details well in advance and knew exactly what he was going to do. His new life involved relocating with Irma to Senior Apts. in San Dimas, California. In retirement, he found new pleasure in taking walks with his dog and talking to his friends here at home. Always a well-informed person, Henry enjoyed adding to his wealth of knowledge. Retirement afforded him the time to enjoy that experience and provided one more opportunity to look ahead at what life might offer him.

Henry passed away on July 25, 2013 at Pomona Valley Hospital in Pomona, California. He is survived by his wife Irma, children Henry Jr., Debbie and Steve, his grandchildren Justin, Raylene, Chelsea, Tyler, Lyanna, Kalynn, Brody and Hunter, his great grandchildren Aubrey and Arianna and brother Robert. Services were held at St. Louise de Marillac Catholic Church.

Henry Valdez Maldonado knew what he wanted from life and never hesitated in going after it. He could be characterized as a driven individual, someone who understood the importance of achievement. Henry was decisive and outspoken at times but was also positive and upbeat about most things. He was a leader, both intentionally and sometimes by default. If he saw that something needed to be done, he was always ready to step up and actualize, organize and implement a plan.