Kathy F. Vallone

Beloved wife, mother, and grandmother Kathy F. Vallone, age 82, passed away on January 10, 2024 after a long battle with cancer. She is preceded in death by her son, Ross Vallone, father and mother, John and Asenath Bitter, and father-in-law and mother-in law, Frank and Antoinette Vallone.  She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Frank Vallone, their beloved dog Vinnie, grandchildren, Novena Vallone, Teagan Vallone, and Aliasia Vallone, and daughters-in-law Gio Apodaca and Michelle Sibley.

Kathy was born on December 18, 1941.   She met Frank on New Year’s Day 1970.   They fell in love and married later that year. Kathy was Frank’s best friend, partner, and the love of his life.   Kathy and Frank loved the southwest.  After visiting several times, they moved with their son Ross to New Mexico in March of 1975.  Kathy went camping with Frank and Ross often.  Enjoying trips in their 18-foot camping trailer to places like Carlsbad Caverns, Arizona, and the Jemez mountains. 

Frank introduced Kathy to drag racing.  The first time she raced, she thought that Frank was trying to kill her, but she grew to love it and even had a better reaction time then Frank.  She named her race car, “No Respect.”  Kathy worked with Frank to run his body shop.  She ran the office and even helped to tint the paint so that the colors matched.  Frank said that she would get mad at him sometimes and quit – taking her coffee cup home, but she always came back the next day. 

Kathy helped Frank when he decided to build a radical custom car they named Maybellene.  When he first brought Maybellene home, she called it junk and when Frank decided to cut the entire top of the car off, she accused him of ruining the car.  Kathy helped Frank in many ways as he built Maybellene. She gave Frank input and ideas and even helped him hang the bumpers.  She would jokingly never let him forget that while helping him hang the bumpers, that she hurt her back.

Kathy was a pet lover.  She had many cats and dogs over the years and her dog Vinnie was her constant companion over the last few years.  

Funeral Services;

Visitation will be held January 22, 2024, and January 23, 2024, at Daniels Funeral Home, 2400 Southern Blvd S.E. Rio Rancho from 2:00pm to 6:00 pm each day.

Funeral services will be on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, at St. Thomas Aquinas Church on Sara Rd. in Rio Rancho, with a rosary at 10:00am and funeral mass at 10:30am.

A burial will follow at 12:00 pm at Vista Verde Memorial Park 4310 Sara Rd in Rio Rancho. 

A reception will immediately follow the burial at Fr. D’Arco Hall at St. Thomas Aquinas Church at 12:45pm.