Johnnie Valdes

Johnnie Marie Hardiman Valdes, 93, of Granville passed away on Tuesday, December 25, 2018 at the       Selma Markowitz Care Center, operated by Hospice of Central Ohio, in Newark.  She was born to John Edward and Nora Rowe Hardiman on July 27, 1925 in Madison Alabama.  Through her parents’ lineage, she traced her heritage to the American Revolution.  Johnnie met her husband of 64 years, Donald M. Valdes, while he was in pilot training at Trinity Field near Decatur, Alabama.  They were married in 1945 in Fort Myers, FL.  Johnnie and Don moved to Granville, Ohio in 1952 after Don joined the faculty of Dennison University.

Johnnie was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Granville for 66 years.  She was an    original organizer of the Granville Recycling Center.  She was a talented gardener, something she no doubt inherited from her mother.  She was a member of the Granville Garden Club and served as its President, and an active member for many years.  Don and Johnnie both enjoyed bicycling, and were part of a small group that took cycling trips every year.  Some of the trips they planned included, biking all around Washington DC, the Pine Barrens of NJ and tulip season in Holland.  Johnnie also served on the Board and was President of the Newark-Granville Symphony Orchestra.  She was an avid tennis player and member of the Granville Tennis Club and was an active player until late in her 80’s.  She learned to play tennis as a child at the family farm, Cotton Hill, in Athens, Alabama.  In 1973, Johnnie studied pottery at Denison.  She and Don built a kiln and pottery shed at their home.  Eventually, she opened a shop at Bryn Mawr with another partner.  Johnnie continued to make and sell much admired pottery for years after the shop burned down.

After Don’s retirement, they traveled through Europe and the Middle East for a year.  In 1989 they traveled around the world on the SS Universe Explorer with the Semester at Sea program.  The ship traveled to many ports, from Odessa Russia, Malaysia (where Johnnie parasailed for her 65 Birthday) to Casablanca.  Johnnie and Don celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in Vezelay, France with their children and grandchildren and their 60th in Merida, Mexico, also with children and grandchildren.

Johnnie is survived by three children her son, Tom Valdes (Felicia) of Vero Beach, FL, her daughters Andrea Hall (John) of Kingston Springs, TN, and Salena Valdes Barrett, Grasonville, MD; daughter-in-law, Joanne Valdes of Pinehurst, NC: four grandchildren, Amanda Valdes Baierl, Bo Valdes, Michael Dickersen, and Charlie Dickersen; and two great grandchildren, Drew Baierl and Sofia Grace Dickersen.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Donald M. Valdes; son, Jack Valdes; son-in-law, Kevin Barrett; and five siblings, Louise Sherlock, W.E., Andrew, Antonia, and Nora Hardiman.

A Celebration-of-Life service will be held at 2:00 P.M. May 2, 2019 at First Presbyterian Church. 110 W. Broadway, Granville with Rev. Karen J. Chakoian as celebrant.

Memorial contributions may be made in Johnnie’s memory to Hospice of Central Ohio or The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University.