Obituary of L.V. ‘Buster’ Valentine

Graveside services, with military honors, for L.V. 'Buster' Valentine, 89, Tyler are scheduled for 3:00 pm, Tuesday, November 20, 2012, at the Tyler Memorial Park Cemetery with the Reverend Larry Craig and Larry Melhart officiating under the direction of Cottle Funeral Home, Troup. Mr. Valentine died Saturday, November 17, 2012, in a Tyler hospital. He was born July 3, 1923, in Rochester, New York to the late Lawrence Frederick Valentine and Vivian Helen Crawford Valentine. He served in the CCC before entering the U.S. Navy in 1941. He was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War. For 38 years, he was employed by Southwestern Bell Telephone Company.  He was a resident of Corpus Christi for over 30 years, retiring to Troup in 1986. He moved to Tyler in 1999. Mr. Valentine was a life member of the VFW, the American Legion and the Telephone Pioneers. He was active in scouting and had served as PTA president. He was also a past member of the Troup Rotary Club. He was a member of the Southern Oaks Baptist Church, Tyler. In addition to his parents, he was also preceded in death by a sister, June Dodero. Mr. Valentine married Ellen Jean Todd, January 21, 1948, in Premont, Texas. Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Ellen Jean Valentine of Tyler; two sons and a daughter-in-law, Tommy Valentine of Corpus Christi and Tony Lawrence and Patty Valentine of Warsaw, Indiana; two daughters, Ellen Valentine Grett of Austin and Carol Valentine Lee of Longview; a sister, Carol Valentine of Tucson, Arizona; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Sonny and Phyllis Todd of New Caney;11 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; and a beloved dog, Lilly. Memorials, if desired, may be made to Southern Oaks Baptist Church, 601 East Amherst, Tyler, TX 75701-8835.