Valerie Martin Elliott

Valerie Martin Elliott of Overland Park, Kansas, died on Thursday night, January 31, 2019. Mass of Christian Burial will be on Wednesday, February 6 at Curé of Ars Catholic Church, 9401 Mission Road, Leawood, Kansas. A visitation will be held from 6-8pm, preceded by rosary prayer from 5:30-6pm on Tuesday, February 5.

Valerie was born in Newark, NJ on March 22, 1926 to Albert and Mazie Martin. Albert died when Valerie was just 2 years old, leaving Mazie with four children to raise. They moved into Valerie’s grandmother’s boarding house and she attended Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament grammar school in East Orange, NJ in 1944. She graduated from West Side High School and became a member of the Stage Door Canteen of Newark during World War II and served on the Hostess Committee. After that, she worked at The Prudential’s home office as a secretary and met the love of her life, Donald R. Elliott. They married and shortly after were transferred to Kansas City where Don accepted a promotion to Regional Sales Manager for the “Pru” and started a family (Don Jr., Ken and Nancy).

Valerie loved being a homemaker, a mother, and a wife and strived for perfection in every role. Don and Valerie joined Blue Hills Country Club and were members for over 50 years where Valerie learn to play golf so she could play with Don. In subsequent years, they enjoyed playing golf together, with other couples and as a family. She initially joined the 9-hole women’s group and eventually moved to the 18-hole group as their children grew older. She became president of the 18-hole group and won the Good Fellowship award. Every August after Don and Valerie moved to Kansas, the family traveled across the country to visit the family in the east at the Jersey shore. It was a wonderful way to keep all of us cousins close to this day. Over the years, she wrote the Cherry Hill Estates neighborhood column for The Country Club Squire. She was a member of Tri-Psi, the Tri Delta’s mother’s group. She became a committee woman for the Johnson County Republican party and a member of the Elephant Club.

She took care of Don when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s for many years until he passed away in 2008. Her first son, Don Jr., died in 2001 and is survived by his wife Karen. Valerie is also survived by her son Kenneth, her daughter Nancy Todd and husband Jeff, three grandchildren - Keith, Christopher and Andrea and their spouses Brandy, Aixa and Luke. She has seven great-grandchildren - Payton, Riley, Chris, Jr., Leilani, Tori, Elle and Reese. Valerie will be deeply missed by her family, friends, caregivers Izabel and Connie.