Rachel Tafoya Valencia, age 86 passed away at 3:15 am on Sunday, August 16, 2020. Her large and loving family was by her side at Serenity House in the Santa Barbara foothills. Rachel was the youngest of 6 children and the last of her generation who raised nearly 50 cousins to carry on the Tafoya family name.|
Rachel was born September 22, 1933 in Ensenada, Mexico to Paulina Martinez and Reydecel Bustillos (RB) Tafoya. She was preceded in death by her mother (1961), father (1968), brothers Ray and Fred, and sisters Maggie, Eleanor and Esther. Rachel was a long-time Dodger fan, an accomplished pianist and a tireless community volunteer culminating in being selected ABWA Woman of the Year.
Married to Joe H. Valencia for 63 years until his passing in 2016, Rachel and Joe had five children: JoAnne Valencia Jones (Larry), Joe, Jim, Jean Valencia McCauley (Reed), and Jerry Valencia (Nui), seven grandchildren (Jennifer, Julia and Jillian Jones; Ryan and Nick Valencia; and Taylor and Trent McCauley) and nine great-grandchildren (Jackson and Jacob Proffitt; Asher, Piper and Brier Moegelin; and Logan, Sonora, Dakota and Hannah Cobble).
Raised in Moorpark, California Rachel played the family’s grand piano at an early age and gave recitals at school, church, to her mother’s friends and for her future husband. She graduated from Moorpark High School and attended Ventura College. In 1982, Rachel received her Associate in Science degree in Quality Technology from Allan Hancock College. She also attended the University of La Verne.
Rachel met Joe at a dance on New Year’s Eve in 1952. They were married in Ventura on January 31, 1953. Residing in Oxnard, California Joe and Rachel had five children before moving to Lompoc in 1965. Rachel’s grand piano wouldn’t fit in their new house, so she traded it in for a Wurlitzer upright continuing to play for her family during holidays and throughout the year. She passed her love of music on to her children who fondly remember her beautiful rendition of Debussy’s Clair de Lune.
Rachel and Joe travelled throughout the United States from Washington State to Washington DC including Mexico, Hawaii and Canada. She accompanied her husband on numerous trips while he was Lompoc mayor, city councilman, and long-time Santa Barbara County Planning Commissioner. She enjoyed yearly vacations with her husband and children to Lake Tahoe and Yosemite, but her greatest joy was time at the ball field watching her children play baseball, softball, wrestling, football and track.
Active in her community, Rachel served as Alpha Club President, Cotillion Club President, Women in Chamber of Commerce President, Senior Center Commissioner and on the Lompoc Hospital Foundation Board. She was a pianist for many years at Lompoc’s First United Methodist Church and longtime member of NARFE (National Association of Retired Federal Employees) and ABWA (American Business Women’s Association).
Rachel worked on Vandenberg AFB over 30 years and retired from civil service as a quality assurance specialist. She began her civil service career as a clerk typist at Port Hueneme in 1953 then transferred to the Pacific Missile Range in Pt. Mugu in 1958. In 1965, Joe and Rachel moved their family of seven to Lompoc. Joe worked at Vandenberg AFB with ITT/FEC and Rachel raised their five children. In 1970 Rachel returned to work at Vandenberg. She worked as a secretary, assistant documentation manager, and supervisor of the typing pool, until being promoted to a non-traditional woman’s position in 1980 as an Air Force Quality Assurance Representative. Her work included the Space Shuttle project for which she attended specialized classes at Kirkland AFB, New Mexico, and Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio. After 32 years, Rachel retired from the federal government in 1994 allowing her to spend more time with her seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
After a full and meaningful life, Rachel will be laid to rest next to her husband Joe at Lompoc Cemetery. Due to COVID restrictions Rachel’s service will be delayed for now, but at a future date a memorial will be held at Lompoc First United Methodist Church with reception immediately following.
