Valerie Euphrasia Sanchez (19 Jun 1937 - 18 Jun 2015)

Valerie or Val as everyone knew her was born in Whalebone Grove, Chadwell Heath on the 19th of June 1937 into the Harries family which at the time consisted of her mother Mabel, father Tommy and older brother Ken, her younger brother John arrived 9 years later in 1946. Vals birth was unusual as her mother Mabel went into labour after just six months and at the time it was thought that the early labour was a miscarriage but the tiny baby which no-one expected to survive clung on to life making Valerie a fighter and survivor right from the start.
The consequence of the premature birth left Val with some issues which affected her legs and feet and hindered her abilities to walk and run like everyone else but Val just got on with life understanding her problem but never allowing it to be a problem.
She spent her early years living at Lake Rise in Romford and started school during the 2nd World War at North Street Junior School before progressing to Dury Falls Secondary School. Whilst at school she moved with the family to Wingle Tye Lane in Hornchurch and then again to Osborne Road in Emerson Park.
Shortly after the birth of her little brother John in 1946 her father Tommy and mother Mabel parted company, Val and John stayed with their mother in the family home and Tommy moved to Maldon to run the Kings Head Hotel with his brother Glen.
When Val left school at the age of 15 she began a Pitman Shorthand course with the intention of becoming a legal secretary but to earn a little money while studying she started a job with a local dry cleaners by the name of KwickKlean. Val absolutely loved working there and decided to stay at the dry cleaners and within a few years rose to the position of manageress and spent ten happy years there.
Sadly in 1961 her beloved older brother Ken was taken by cancer and then tragedy struck again in 1962 when her mother Mable also died of the same disease so the family home in Osborne Road was sold. For this reason Val left Emerson Park and followed her brother John who moved away the previous year to live with their father Tommy at The Kings Head in Maldon.
In late 1963 Val met and was swept off her feet by Luis, a Spanish waiter at the Kings Head and despite her fathers reservations they married in October 1964. In June 1965 Valerie gave birth to their son who they also named Luis but this was not to be the start of a blissful family life for Val.
Her new husband decided that family life with a wife and child was not what he wanted so ordered Val to put their new child up for adoption or he would leave. Val had always wanted a child but never believed that her physical restrictions would ever allow her to have one so when she gave birth to a strong healthy baby boy there was no way on earth she would ever give him up. The promise to leave was about the only one Vals husband ever kept so he packed his bags and left her to bring up the child on her own. At no point during the time when Val brought up her son Luis did her husband ever offer any support or financial help and neither did Val pursue it, she was a strong minded and independent lady.

Val and young Luis spent their early Maldon years living in the Kings Head Hotel where Val worked for her father before moving to a small house in New Street which has since been demolished. In 1973 they moved to the house in Fambridge Road which Val would spend the rest of her life in. At this address she made close and lifelong friends with her neighbours Margaret & Vic, Audrey and Pat & Stan and became Godmother to Margaret & Vics youngest son Kevin.
All these neighbours still live either side of Val after over 40 years which makes Val the first one of this small community to leave albeit not by choice.
Around the time of moving to Fambridge Road her father Tommy and step mother Joan decided that after over twenty five years of running the Kings Head Hotel it was time they retired so Val also left The Kings Head to find new employment at the Ever Ready Factory in Heybridge. This meant early starts of getting the bus at 6.30am before returning home in the late afternoon to start the business of looking after her house and young son but Val never complained about the hard work, she took everything in her stride showing her immense inner strength and determination. In the late 1970s The Ever Ready Factory closed so Val found new employment at The English Electric Valve Company in Gate Street Maldon where she worked until deciding to take early retirement in 1992 at 55.
Another milestone in Vals life was in the mid 1970’s when she joined the newly formed Divorced and Separated Social Club which held mid week coffee evenings and weekend house parties at the homes of it’s members. She made many very good friends at this club who remained good friends for the rest of her life.
Val thoroughly enjoyed her well earned retirement and loved being known as Nanny Val to her three grandchildren Hannah, Chloe and Sarah. She appreciated that her son, daughter in law Carol and the grandchildren lived close by and would spend most Sundays at their house and have regular visits from them. Val also had regular visits from lots of the friends she had made during her life and was always very pleased to see everyone.
Val had constantly taken good care of her health, she didn’t smoke, rarely touched alcohol and tried her best to eat healthily so when she fell ill around Easter this year and was admitted to hospital it was expected that this would be a short stay before coming home. Sadly this wasn’t the case and after two months of tests, treatment and re-tests she was diagnosed with a very aggressive Lymphoma which took her life within three days of the official diagnosis. The impact this has had on her family and close friends can only be described as devastating and most are still struggling to believe what has happened.
Her family has been extremely touched by all the messages of sympathy which have come in the form of cards, letters, phone calls and even messages on Facebook from friends of her son who haven’t seen her for 25 to 30 years. These messages are from the people who remember Val for the friendly, hospitable and generous lady which she was and will be missed by all who knew and loved her.
Each of us will have a special memory of Val whether it be her happy smile, her kind and loving nature or even her red hair which she was so proud to have kept all her life. Whatever that memory is it’s bound to be a fond one.