Obituary of John G. Valenta

MOHAWK- “Man of steel but a heart of gold.” John G. (Big John) Valenta, 69 of Upper Deck Road Mohawk, NY (Town of Stark), passed away peacefully with his wife and children by his side on Thursday, January 2, 2020 at the Bassett Medical Center, Cooperstown, NY. He was born on July 10, 1950 in Little Falls, NY the son of the late John and Betty (Sherwood) Valenta. He was a class of 1968 graduate of Owen D. Young Central School, Van Hornesville NY. On May 15, 1982 he was united in marriage in Jordanville, NY to his wife of 37 years the former Tina M. Wysocki. John worshipped his wife, children, and grandchildren above anything else. He couldn’t stop smiling when they were together. His happiest times were having “family night” where all of his family sat around laughing, telling stories, looking at old pictures, eating, and playing cards. He loved to fish and teach his grandchildren how to as well. He was a “celebrity” in the community at every school event and wouldn’t miss a single one that his children and grandchildren participated in no matter the distance he had to travel on every back road or how atrocious the weather may have been. He enjoyed bowling on several leagues a the Route 80 Bowl. John always enjoyed hunting with his family and friends. He was a past member of the Van Hornesville Vol Fire Dept. and served many years as the Town of Stark Assessor. John operated the family dairy farm on Bush Rd. in the Town of Stark for many years then later working in that same capacity for the Joe Camara Farm nearby. After leaving farming he was employed as a fork lift operator for Sunbelt Industries, Little Falls until his retirement in August of 2019, after 35 years of service. He is survived by his wife Tina, his son John W. Valenta and his wife Sara, Van Hornesville, his daughters Jennifer Abbruzzese and her husband Chris, Cooperstown, Kathleen Peplinski and her companion Eli Smith, Syracuse, Vanessa McCord and her husband Ben, Cooperstown, Cheryl Douglass and her husband Nathan, Crossville, TN, Anne Maidens and her husband Matt, Jordanville and Elizabeth Valenta and her companion Jacob Mayton, Mohawk, his sister Carolyn V. Neverusky and her husband George, Herkimer, his foster brother Elroy Moore and his wife Laurie & their family, Mohawk, his sister in law, Brenda Bellstedt, Ilion, his beloved grandchildren Gavin and Isabella Valenta, Marissa and Julianna Abbruzzese, Shelby, Zachary and Nolan Peplinski, Blake and Madelynn McCord, Wyatt Douglass and Gage and Grayson Maidens as well as several nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was predeceased in death by his twin grandsons Gradon and Cameron Valenta. All are welcome, relatives and friends, to gather with the family to celebrate the life of “Big John” on Sunday, January 12, 2020 at 1:00 pm at Francesca’s Banquet Facility, 144 East Main Street, Ilion, NY where a prayer service of remembrance will be held at 2:00 with Pastor Theresa Grescheck, officiating, with a luncheon to follow. Arrangements are by the Chapman-Moser Funeral Home, Inc., 42 N. Ann Street, Little Falls, NY. It is the wish of the family that contributions in memory of John be considered to the Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation (PRRF), 39650 Orchard Hill Place, Suite 200, Novi, MI 48375 or to the Beautiful You MRKH Foundation, Inc., 13301 Clifton Road, Silver spring, MD 20904. Envelopes are also available at the funeral home for this purpose. - In the words of John Valenta “I’ll see you sooner, if not later, and later, if not sooner.”