Valinda June Chard Obituary
Valinda June Chard, 70, passed away at home on Thursday, December 7, 2017, at La Luz, New Mexico. The cause of her death was a heart attack and complications of Parkinson's Disease. Born June 15, 1947 in Kansas City, she was the daughter of the late Paul Edward Turnbough and Edith Laurine Decker. Her family moved to California around 1950 when her dad was seeking a new job.
As a child, Valinda attended Sunday school and church at Sacramento Free Methodist. She graduated from Encina High School in Sacramento, California. She was the wife of Danny Michael Chard, whom she married on October 10, 1965, in Reno, Nevada. She was a wonderful partner in life and an excellent mother. She was a long-time resident of Colorado before moving to New Mexico.
Valinda lived a very full life with a myriad of activities. She was an avid roller skater and enjoyed dance skating waltzes with her husband, Dan. She worked as a beautician, billing clerk, and a book keeper. She was a teacher's aide in Brighton, CO. Valinda was known for her beautiful handwriting, practicing calligraphy, and designing business signs.
She was an excellent seamstress and sewed the tuba covers for the Adams City High School band used in the bands performance at the Denver Christmas parade of lights in 1982. Valinda was a certified locksmith. She was also a property manager and she personally created master keys for each unit. Most of her career was working side by side with her husband, Dan to include running a limousine business.
Valinda was proficient using a cut off saw to cut and fabricate parts for the manufacture of semi tractor-trailers and other projects. Valinda was also skilled using a wood processor to split wood. One order was 800 cords of wood. She was a parts runner and equipment operator for a construction company. Valinda held a CDL license and drove semi tractor-trailers.
She was also certified for oversize load escort (pilot car) and traffic control. Valinda was extremely proficient at tracking underground directional boring. Boring is necessary to run utilities under roads, rivers, and railroad tracks. While her husband, Dan, was working at Fort Bliss, Valinda got a tour and was able to take a ride in two M1 Abrams tanks.
Valinda saved the Foodshare program in Alamogordo, New Mexico from being disbanded. She ran such an efficient operation for four years, she was asked to take over the entire West Texas division, but she declined. Valinda was a census taker in Southwest, New Mexico in 2010. They asked her to go to the most rural areas because she had excellent navigation, and survival skills, with a 4WD vehicle.
These were only a few of Valinda's many activities and she did them all with excellence. Valinda enjoyed playing canasta, crocheting, and watching MASH, Quincy, Little House on the Prairie, Black Sheep Squadron, and old westerns like Gunsmoke and Bonanza. Her favorite colors were blue, pink, and lavender and her favorite pie was blackberry.
She was predeceased by her parents, brothers, Allen Edward Turnbough and Delbert LeRoy Turnbough, and brother-in-law's, John Stearns and John Keefer. Survivors include her husband Danny Michael Chard of La Luz, New Mexico, son, Michael William Chard and his wife Nancy of Eldersburg, Maryland, their children Zachary Orndorff of Baltimore, Maryland, and Michelle Chard (Matthew) of Laurel, Maryland, Abraham Michael Chard of Cambridge, Maryland, and Sarah Chard of Eldersburg, Maryland, her sisters, Ellen Marie Fanning of Oregon, Paula Jeanette Stearns of California, Joyce Gaylene Keefer of California, and Edith Estelle Jones (Gary) of California, her great-grandson, Connor Abraham Chard of Cambridge, Maryland, and many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in her honor to the Parkinson's Foundation.
