Clarice Evelyn Valentine

Clarice Evelyn Valentine of Gallipolis passed away peacefully on April 10, 2024, at the age of 90.  Clarice lived a fulfilling life as a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend to many in the community.  Clarice was a loving wife to her husband George Leo Valentine who preceded her in death.  Clarice and Leo were married for 67 years; and she is survived by her three children Rita (Lou) DePalatis, Tom (Anita) Valentine, and Ann (Forrest) Ramey; her eight grandchildren Laura, Michael, Christopher, Anthony, Trent, Taylor, Brooke, and Ben; and her three great-grandchildren Paige, Callum, and Julian.

Clarice was born on December 28, 1933, in Russell County, Virginia to Bascom and Dorothy (Musick) Owens and was one of three children Norma (George) who preceded her in death and Carol (Hendrickson).  Clarice graduated from Waterloo High School in 1951 and immediately enrolled in the Holzer School of Nursing in Gallipolis, Ohio.  While attending nursing school, Clarice met and fell in love with George Leo Valentine; and they were married on August 2, 1954.

Clarice was a long-time resident of Gallipolis and worked at the Gallipolis State Institute and Holzer Hospital during her nursing career. Throughout her life, she was very active in the community and was always engaging with her friends and family.  Clarice had a curious mind and enjoyed learning new things such as photography, painting, ceramics, restoring old furniture, and cake decorating.  She was an avid reader and traveler, and she enjoyed crossword puzzles.  Clarice also enjoyed sewing, gardening, volunteering, and most of all spending time with her husband, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.  Clarice’s nursing career was spent primarily at Holzer Hospital in Gallipolis where she worked for nearly 35 years at a variety of nursing positions.  After her retirement, Leo and Clarice enjoyed their life in Gallipolis while also traveling throughout the country.  They visited many National Parks and their children and grandchildren in Michigan, Texas, California, and Hawaii.  Clarice was also an active part of the community where she participated and volunteered for many events. She was a member of Grace United Methodist Church and volunteered at many church dinners, distributing food for the church’s food bank, and making homemade noodles for various charity events.  Leo and Clarice treasured their circle of friends that got together on a regular basis and did many excursions with them throughout the region.  Clarice will be sorely missed by her family and many friends.

The service for Clarice will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at Willis Funeral Home with Pastor Ray Kane officiating.  Honors will be given at the service by the Nurse Honor Guard of the Ohio Valley.  A time of gathering with the family will follow the service at Grace Methodist Church.