Raymond Valdez Jr.

Raymond Valdez, Jr. “Little Raymond”, 96, peacefully passed away at the LifePath Hospice House in Sun City Center, Fla. on Tuesday, February 2, 2021. He was a native Floridian who grew up in Ybor City. He grew up with his two brothers and two sisters. In October 1942 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, receiving basic training at Norfolk, Va. He served in the Pacific Theater of Operations and was honorably discharged in November 1945. He married his wife, Aida Gomez on January 5, 1962 and they were married for 55 years. They had two daughters, Sylvia and Nancy. The family attended Iglesia Bautista Latinoamericana where he served as a deacon and choir member. Raymond had a beautiful singing voice and he really enjoyed using his voice to bring glory to God.

One of his passions was tinkering with cars and eventually fulfilled his dream of owning his own automotive mechanic shop. Everybody went to Little Raymond’s Garage on the corner of Lake Ave. and 15th St. in Ybor City. Everybody knew him and everybody loved him.

After he retired, he took care of Aida until her passing in 2016. Together they had helped raise their grandchildren, Rebecca, Jazmina and Eriq. When his wife became ill, he found comfort and friendship at East Chelsea Baptist Church. His relationship with the Lord flourished and he began serving there joyfully until he physically could no longer attend. He missed his Sunday School teachers, his pastor and friends.

In September 2016, he was honored with an all-expense paid trip to the memorials in Washington, D.C. arranged by his son-in-law, Marc, and provided through The Honor Flight Network. That was a momentous and exciting experience for him. He also was a Grand Marshall at both the VFW Memorial Day Parade and the Brandon 4th of July Parade in 2018.

In the last few years, he was diagnosed with dementia. His mind started to slowly forget things, but he never lost his sense of humor or his dancing skills. He loved, loved, LOVED spending time with his grandchildren. He danced at both of his granddaughter’s weddings. He looked forward to visits with his grandson and they celebrated birthdays together. Last Christmas Eve Raymond was able to spend time with the whole family even though he didn’t quite understand everything or keep up with all the activities.

He was an incredibly special person. He loved the Lord, worked extremely hard his entire life, and served God and his church faithfully. He will be missed.

He is survived by his children, Sylvia Fernandez, Nancy Rodriquez; sons-in-law, Gabriel Fernandez, Marc Rodriquez; granddaughters and their spouses, Rebecca and Ryan Ore, Jazmina and Andrew Toledo; grandson, Eriq Rodriquez; sisters, Olga Pruett and Mary Manry.

A funeral service will be held 2 p.m. Thursday, Februay 11, 2021 at Blount & Curry Funeral Home at Garden of Memories. The family will receive friends Thursday from 1-2 p.m. at the funeral home.