Foothills Sentry December 2020

Foothills Sentry Page 14 December 2020 Carol Mary Schuler Valenta 1936-2020 Carol Mary Schuler Valenta passed away Oct. 23 at her home in Santa Ana, surrounded by her loving family. Carol was 84 years of age. She was born in Devils Lake, North Dakota on July 14, 1936 to Othmar and Louise Hel- ten Schuler. When she was eight years old, the family settled in Munich, North Dakota, where she attended public school. Carol graduated from Munich High School in 1954. While at Munich High, Carol was a cheer- leader and played on the girls’bas- ketball team. She also played the clarinet in the school band. She worked on the school newspaper and the yearbook staff. After high school, she began her education at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota. After two years, she transferred to Valley City State College in Valley City, North Dakota where she complet- ed her bachelor’s degree. She began her professional career teaching elementary edu- cation in Dickey, North Dakota. While teaching there, she met her husband, Donald Valenta. They were married in Munich on June 14, 1960. They made their home on a farm in Dickey. In 1966, they moved to Santa Ana. Carol taught at St. Cecilia’s school for two years before devoting herself full-time to raising their family of five children. She was truly devoted to her family. Carol was involved in their children’s education and ac- tivities, taking the kids to music lessons, helping with homework and running the household for seven. She prepared large Sun- day dinners, was a fabulous cook and well known for her delicious baking. She happily attended al- most every special occasion for her grandchildren and enjoyed having them visit the family home. Christmas was her favorite time of year. Each holiday Carol prepared a spectacular feast for the family of 20. She was an avid reader, spent time completing beautiful puzzles, and enjoyed playing the piano. She was a longtime member of the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Costa Mesa. Don and Carol were married for 60 years. They planned many unforgettable family camping trips to the national parks. In the later years, they enjoyed taking road trips, visiting historical sites and going to dinner and the mov- ies. Carol is survived by her spouse Donald, and their children, Lori (Chris) Rouse, Candace Leard, David (Anjanette) Valenta, Ste- ven (Jasmin) Valenta; her nine grandchildren, Travis Valenta, Ian and Brendon Rouse, Jacque- lyn (Cassidy) and Kenneth Leard, Madeline and Rachel Valenta, Bradley and Gavin Valenta; two sisters, Janet (Leonard) Dyer and Elaine Schuler; two brothers, Kenneth (Marcie) Schuler and Charles Schuler. She was pre- ceded in death by her son, James Valenta. A funeral Mass was held Nov. 4 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Costa Mesa. Nicholas “Nick” Rogers 1935-2020 Long-time Villa Park resident, Nicholas Rogers, 85, died Nov. 9 following a short illness. He worked for many years as a com- mercial real estate broker in the area. Nick was born Sept. 15, 1935 in Salmon, Idaho, the son of Al- bert and Arline (Bradley) Rog- ers. The family returned to their home state of Montana after a few years, and Nick grew up there, of- ten living in the Bitterroot Valley. As a young man, Nick left Montana in search of better eco- nomic opportunities. He followed his older sister to the Detroit area, where she had moved after get- ting married. Nick married Bar- bara Walker and had three daugh- ters before the couple divorced. Having worked at a Chevrolet dealership in parts and service, Nick moved into sales – a career he would continue in for the rest of his life. While selling Chevro- lets, Nick met Kathryn (Kay) Pe- ters. They subsequently married and after a honeymoon to South- ern California, decided to relocate to Orange County. In California, Nick switched to selling newspaper advertising and was a top salesman for the “Los Angeles Times” for three years before moving on to real estate. He worked with several firms in Orange County over the next five decades. Nick and Kay eventually settled in Villa Park where they raised three children. They were long- time members of the First United Methodist Church of Orange, where Nick sang in the choir for over 35 years. He enjoyed sing- ing in a local barbershop chorus for many years. He performed with a choral group at Carnegie Hall. For several years, he also performed in Christmas programs at Disneyland. Nick enjoyed socializing with family and friends. He celebrated his 80th birthday with a family reunion attended by his children, their spouses and his grandchil- dren. He enjoyed traveling, as he and Kay often took the family on the road in their Winnebago mo- tor home. In recent years, he and Kay continued to enjoy travel- ing, including a voyage to Alaska to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary and a trip down the Mississippi River. Nick had a well-known love for salmon, King crab legs and ice cream, which he often ate while wearing one of his many Hawaiian shirts. He was also known to enjoy a good margarita. Along with his wife of 54 years Kay, Nick is survived by: chil- dren LeAnne Rogers of Rochester Hills, Michigan; Rebecca Rogers of Girdwood, Arkansas; Col- leen Rogers of London, England; Scott Rogers (Anne) of Fountain Valley; Laurel Parke (Philip) of Anaheim Hills; and Derek Rogers (Paige) of Upper Arlington, Ohio; grandchildren Jennifer Rogers (Gary Milton), Karmen Butler (Mark Lowman), Gabriel Rogers- Mullen, Jackson, Anderson and Hudson Parke, Molly and Maggie Rogers, Charlotte and Mackenzie Rogers; sisters Audrey Kennedy, Kitty Petersen, Kelly Burnett and Mary Hill. Nick was predeceased by granddaughters Chloe Titone and Dorothy Rogers-Mullen, sis- ters Irma Dolan and Leona (Pat) Waits. He also has two great- grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. A private funeral service was held on Nov. 24 at First United Methodist Church of Orange with Pastor Bill Johnson officiat- ing. Interment followed at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Orange. Brown Colonial Mortuary in San- ta Ana handled the arrangements. For those interested, memorial donations may be mailed to the Music Department at First United Methodist Church of Orange, 161 S. Orange, Orange, CA, 92866. Is real estate going in reverse? As we approach the end of 2020, we continue to face some interesting real estate obstacles due to COVID-19 and the low housing inventory in our local markets. Low inventory causes greater demand and, typically, increased pricing. One factor that I have personally seen, and not a lot of people talk about, is the “reverse.” If you find yourself questioning what I mean, I am referring to the reverse mortgage industry. The reverse mortgage loan as- sists seniors, 62 years of age or older, in remaining in their home. They never have to make a mort- gage payment for the rest of their lives and, therefore, would not be moving anytime soon. As a realtor for the past 18 years, this conversation has come up with my clients who have lived in their homes for many years. When I ask if they are ready to downsize, the most common re- sponse is, “Where would I go?” or “Why would I move?” Many older homeowners are opting for reverse mortgages rather than selling their homes. I believe that this trend has fac- tored into the low inventory we have experienced in recent months. Paired with historically low interest rates and the upcom- ing holiday season, our low in- ventory could possibly continue into the early months of next year. With that, happy house hunting, stay healthy and Happy Holidays. TCF distributes grant money The Tustin Community Foun- dation announced the distribution of $280,000 in grants to 44 local nonprofits. The funding was part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Eco- nomic Security (CARES) Act stimulus package dispersed to state and county governments ear- lier this year. The City of Tustin partnered with the Tustin Com- munity Foundation to develop an emergency Tustin Cares fund for nonprofits suffering a loss of rev- enue due to the pandemic. Individual nonprofits were awarded up to $15,000 to cover operating expenses and services provided to the community. Awardees ranged from Al- zheimer’s Orange County to Working Wardrobes, with most of them child, student and family focused charities. Santa Claus is coming to Villa Park Villa Park Community Services Foundation announces that Santa, accompanied by Villa Park City Council “elves,” will take his an- nual tour of the city via fire truck on Saturday, Dec. 5. While Santa will not be sit- ting in his chair outside the truck, he will be listening to all of the children’s wishes and providing wrapped candy canes for masked and distanced girls and boys. Santa also promises to read all letters dropped into his postage- free Santa’s Mail Box in front of Villa Park City Hall before Dec. 17. Busy Santa will make another appearance, spreading “Joy to the World” while cruising the city’s asphalt harbor in the 23rd annual Villa Park Dry Land Boat Parade, rolling out at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13. Themed and decorated vessels of any sort may win priz- es, though there will be no post- parade celebration at the Villa Park Center. For the map of Santa’s route, a fill-in template for a letter to Santa, or registration and routing for the boat parade, see the vpcs- foundation.org . The second winter wonderland ice skating event has been post- poned.