Valente Laur Vidaca was born on May 21, 1927 in a small ranch called El Verano in Sinaloa, Mexico. He was the fifth son of ten children from Faustino and Maria Luisa Vidaca.
In the 1940's, he was part of the 'Braceros' program and came to the United States for the first time. In 1950 he married and had his first two daughters, Ofelia and Lorena. When that marriage ended he had 3 additional children – Josefina and twins Armando and Rumalda. On July 4, 1963 he married Maria Gonzales Alvarado in Ajoya, Sinaloa. Once married, they moved to Tijuana, Baja California. That same year Valente returned to California and began working in agriculture. Valente and Maria made Fallbrook their permanent home. He had 7 children with Maria: Christina, Raquel, Vicente, Elva, Rogelio, Melissa and Ruben. Valente leaves behind 11 children, 23 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren and 7 great great grandchildren.
Valente (known between friends as "Don Vale") had a great sense of humor and always liked to make people laugh. He's remembered as a jokester and a cheerful person. His hobbies in his early life included playing the accordion, singing and hunting. He enjoyed cooking what he hunted making carnitas or barbacoa for his friends and family. Valente loved fruit trees and all types of plants, he would spend countless hours in his garden. He also enjoyed caring for and raising livestock. Family vacations included: Del Mar Fair, San Diego Zoo, and Charreadas in Escondido. During the winter he liked to take his family to Palomar Mountain. In more recent years his hobbies included playing cards, dominos and word searches.
His wife, children, grandchildren and family will miss the sound of his laughter and jokes. His generosity is something that many appreciated and will remember fondly.