Raynaldo Valdez

Ray Valdez was born on November 17, 1958, to Francisco and Maria Valdez in Lamesa, Texas. The family stayed in Brownfield, Texas until he was around 6 or 7 years old. His father, along with being a pastor also worked at a cotton and grain gin and his mother took care of the home, as well as worked in the harvest fields. As a child he and his brother were kept by the grandmothers who kept all the young children under the shade of the trees by the fields. Ray constantly had allergies, asthma, and bronchitis episodes. His dad chose to move the family to Hobbs, New Mexico. His health improved dramatically. His parents were blessed with better jobs and healthcare.

Ray was baptized to God in 1966. In his teenage years he taught bible classes for youth. He attended church faithfully.

He was academically tested and his IQ level was above 140. He was considered gifted and a genius. He was passionate about reading. The school he attended wanted to move him from 3rd grade to 6th grade. His parents only allowed them to move him to 4th, because they did not want him to be bullied by other students. His father later put him in baseball. He was the catcher and 2nd baseman of the team. Ray succeeded in holding 1st and 2nd position in Math and Spelling bees. He had many trophies and plaques. The library was his world. He devoured books after books and constantly pushed his younger brother to read at least 3-4 books at a time. During his 5th grade year, he learned to speed read. He would read 7-10 books in 3 days. In high school, Ray took the academic classes and in the 10th grade he classes at Hobbs, N.M. Junior College. He attended Texas Tech for his computer science and business management. Due to severe health problems, he was unable to finish.

He worked in the oilfield as a roustabout. Later he worked at Town and Country and was promoted to Management. Due to his health problems, he was diagnosed with Diabetes with a blood sugar count of 2800. But God brought him through it. He later worked at K-mart and when they closed, he began working for Hobbs Water department, where he retired. Many times, his co-workers gave him rides to work and rescued him when his diabetes shut him down and he had to be hospitalized. A special thank you to each and everyone who was there for him.

Ray contributed to numerous Christian charitable organizations as well as various pet foundations.

Ray passed away November 21st, 2025. His parents, Francisco and Maria Valdez, passed away before him.

He is survived by his brother, Catarino Valdez; his wife, Marydee Valdez; and three nieces: Tamanika Shedwin, Tamika Dalton and her husband Justin, and Sabrina Zellis. 2 great nephews and 2 great nieces and 1 great, great niece. Many relatives and numerous dear friends.