Charlene Gail Valdez

Heaven has gained an angel, and my family is broken as we are writing this to announce Charlene Gail (Stone) Valdez, age 73 passed away peacefully at Lutheran Hospital, Wheat Ridge, Colorado on January 17, 2025, with her beloved husband by her side.  Charlene was born on January 1, 1952 to Charles Stone and Estelene Null in Cheyenne Wyoming. Where she attended and graduated Palmer High School in Cheyenne Wyoming.

David Reed and Charlene met after a horrific car accident. David and Charlene got married in Colorado Springs on November 1, 1968, and eventually welcomed two daughters into their lives. After Charlene and David got married, they moved to Oregon. Charlene and David Reed got divorced in Oregon, October 1980. Charlene and her daughters moved back to Colorado Springs, Colorado after David and Charlene divorced.

That is when Charlene met Mike Hewitt at a dance hall in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1986. Charlene and Mike lived on the military base at Fort Carson where Amber, Charlene’s granddaughter was born in late 1986. Amber was Charlene’s life and was until the day she passed away. Charlene, Mike the girls, and Amber eventually moved to Ellicott, Colorado where Charlene’s love for animals really showed through at this time they had 10 pit bulls that they raised and showed.  Charlene won numerous ribbons with her dogs weight pulling and showing that was one thing she was very proud of was her dogs.

Eventually Mike and Charlene went their own way in 1990 and not after that is when she met Paul. Charlene and Paul Valdez met in 1992 and got married in Granby Colorado on February 14, 1995, where Charlene gained a son in the marriage. They lived in Granby, Fraser, and Hot Sulphur Springs where Charlene worked at the Chuckwagon as a cook and bartender. She left the Chuckwagon and went to Mad Munchies where she ran it for years. In 2001 Charlene and Paul moved to Denver, at the time Charlene worked at Dish, and she worked there until she got sick.

Charlene was an animal LOVER throughout her life she had something in her collection from raising and weight pulling pit bulls, ferrets, chinchillas, pot belly pig and a hedgehog, some all at one time, some people would categorize it as a zoo, but she would never have it any other way.  Charlene loved to spend time with her granddaughter at her rodeos. If she had time, she would tell you many stories about her riding horses and all the rodeos she would be at cheering her on. Anyone that knew Charlene knew how close that her granddaughter was to her, often she was her daughter more that her granddaughter.

Charlene loved to spend her past-time outside. She loved to fish and camp with Paul and her granddaughter in the mountains. If she wasn’t doing that, she was making beautiful jewelry and dream catchers, she was amazing at whatever she tried.

She is survived by her husband Paul, son Jason (Brandy) Valdez of Texas, granddaughter Amber (Kevin) of South Dakota as well as many grandkids and great grandkids. She is preceded in death by her dad Charles, mom Estelene, and sister Roberta.

A Celebration of Life will be held on June 26, 2025 at 11:00am at Ft. Logan Cemetery. Please arrive 15 minutes early at Staging Area “A”.