Fr. Jack Valley
You may have heard by now our friend Fr. Jack Valley went home to the Lord. May Fr. Valley rest in peace. I will certainly miss Fr. Valley. He was a good priest friend and mentor. He could make you laugh and he loved to laugh. If you ever needed to get a hold of him, all you had to do was dial, “Who Jack” on your phone. He sure loved celebrating Mass at Saint Mary Magdalene Parish. He loves you! I know you loved having him for Mass.
Speaking of love, Fr. Valley would love to give hugs or pat you on the back. He could give you a pretty good squeeze! I remember one time he wrapped his hand around my neck instead of my back and my neck was sore for the rest of the day. Fr. Valley kept himself in good shape. If you ever saw him wearing a short sleeve clerical shirt you would notice he had some pretty muscular arms.
Sadly, when I entered the seminary he was no longer teaching any classes. His last Holy Thursday Mass at the seminary was legendary. During the homily, he gave away a television, a box of old fireworks, candy, and a pair of underwear that belonged to a bishop! Many times, Fr. Valley would have a prop during the homily. I remember, he once used a deck of playing cards and did a magic trick with them. A great priest, great friend, and a great counselor! He was a very wise man.
Please know his wake will begin with vespers on Wednesday, September 30th at 3pm at Saint John Vianney Parish. The parish address is 7575 Bellflower Road in Mentor, Ohio 44060. Bishop Martin Amos will preside and Fr. Tom Johns is the homilist. The wake will conclude at 8pm. The Funeral Mass is Thursday, October 1st at 11am at Saint John Vianney Parish. Bishop Edward Malesic is the main celebrant and Fr. Valley’s classmate Bishop James Griffin is the homilist.
God bless and stay safe!
In Christ,
Fr. Steve Breck
Pastor, St. Mary Magdalene
