Ramona Florence “Rae” Valley Eichinger

Published in The Sierra Vista Herald (September 16, 2014): Mrs. Ramona Florence Eichinger (Valley) passed away peacefully at age 84 on Sept. 12, 2014. Ramona (Rae) loved to sing, dance, serve her country and community, and most importantly she loved her family and friends. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend. She was born in Miami, Okla., on Nov. 12, 1929, to her parents, Joseph Valley and Edna (Coolidge) Valley. Ramona was very proud of her American Indian heritage and membership in the Peoria Indian tribe of Miami, Okla. She was the youngest of six children, with brothers Buck, Max, and Wayne, and sisters Naomi and Doris. She attended Miami High School and graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, Calif. In 1948 Ramona graduated from Strayer College in Washington, D.C. She served her country as a Red Cross Reserve captain with service during World War II and overseas in the Korean War. In 1954 she found her lifelong love and married Louis S. Eichinger. Louis preceded her in death in 1985 and was a 36-year Army veteran and a retired colonel. Through their “military” marriage Lou and Rae traveled extensively, including posts in Japan, Italy, and Germany. She was a proud lifetime member of the VFW Post 549 in Tucson, Ariz. Buried at Fort Huachuca Cemetery, Arizona