Paul Joseph Valko

Paul Joseph Valko, loving husband, father and grandfather, passed away on Friday, January 31st, 2020. He was a Denver native, born on September 20th, 1941 to Joseph and Mabel Valko. While not an easy childhood, he was raised to keep a strong faith, love of family and never to shy away from a day’s hard work. He cared deeply for his parents, especially his mother. Even though she struggled with MS for most of her life, she always managed to make their house a loving home. Along with his older brother Jerry, he grew up on Wyandot Street in North Denver and it was there that he made friends that would last a lifetime. It was in that same community that he met his wife Margery at the Frosty Scotchman. She was a sock-hop and he always said that ordering that chocolate malted that day was the best decision he ever made. They married in July of 1964 and celebrated over 46 years of marriage together until her death in 2010.

During their first years of marriage, Paul served with the U.S. Navy from 1965-69. He was stationed aboard the U.S.S. Ranier, which he not-so-fondly remembered sailed past Hawaii not once but twice, without stopping. After the Navy, he returned to Denver to start a family and began working for the City and County of Denver. Here he would begin a career with Street Maintenance that would span over 30 years. During these years he trained for and began to run the Rotomill, the largest piece of mobile equipment owned by the City of Denver. To his team if would become known as the “dinosaur”. There was always a bit of a debate though if the term “dinosaur” applied more to the machine or to Paul. It was meant as a compliment. That he was part of a by-gone era when you went to work every day without complaint and did your job, simply because it was the right thing to do. Paul retired in 2003 with a City Commendation. At that time Mayor Hickenlooper told him that in the last 5 years he and team milled over 3 million square yards of pavement, or 10% of the city, to help make the Denver roads safer. In other words, if you were ever late in getting somewhere due to road construction, Paul was usually to blame.

After his retirement he found meaningful work as a greeter at the Denver Convention Center. He took great pride in helping visitors to our city navigate and find their hotel, conference room or a great local restaurant. He enjoyed trips to the mountains and was always happy to try his luck in Blackhawk or Central City. He also became a member of his local Elks group and the WMWAs (Widowed Men and Women of America). The friendships he made here gave him strength and true happiness in the years after the loss of his beloved wife.

Paul’s true love in life was his family. In 1972, he and Margery welcomed a daughter, Rhonda. He relished being a father and always strived to teach a sense of responsibility, the importance of an honest heart and keeping a sense of humor. He loved the simple things in life and took joy in the everyday. Watching Saturday cartoons with his grandson. A catchy polka tune played on the accordion. Mowing your own lawn. A good doughnut shared with a friend. Rescuing a stray animal. Putting up Christmas lights. Teaching your child to drive a stick shift or hit a baseball. Singing hymns in church and listening to your Pastor. Dressing up as Dracula to scare your daughter’s friends on Halloween. Visits to Dairy Queen. Vacations to Disneyland. Coming home each night to your family. He loved to laugh and once he started could not stop. Always with a kind word (except when watching his favorite local football team that shall remain nameless), he was a truly warm and generous listener, putting others first above all. He gave more than he took and was loved by so many. He will be missed not just today, not just tomorrow, but always.

He is survived by his daughter, son-in-law and grandson (Rhonda, Aris and Alexander Persidis), Brother and Sister-in-Law (Jerry and Patricia Valko) and Brother-in-Law (Gary Locke)