MARVIA VALDEZ: A NEIGHBORHOOD’S BEST FRIEND

Neighborhood organization is fundraising for a park shelter in her honor

BY THE BELLEVUE-HALE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

As the sun sets on the homes in the 1200 block of Birch Street in Denver, eyes might come to rest on a white brick house with green shutters. Until the winter of 2021, one would likely have seen a white-haired woman with a big smile inside this home, sitting at her computer by the window of her o ce. She likely would have provided a friendly wave while a small black-and-tan dog named Toby kept watch through the front screen door.

e woman’s name was Marvia Valdez. She was one of the more familiar faces in Denver’s Bellevue-Hale neighborhood.

Her impact was signi cant and ongoing. Times changed through the years, but Valdez was steadfast in her views of community. She always spoke of how community — the cooperation, friendship and caring of neighbors for other neighbors — is what keeps a neighborhood healthy and alive.

“Marvia was the rst person I met when I moved into the neighbor- hood 12 years ago,” said Tom Arrison, neighbor and member of the Bellevue-Hale Neighborhood Association’s Lindsley Park Shelter Committee.

“She was altogether friendly. Working around her over the years, I noticed how people were drawn to her and sought to be involved in her projects. She was just one of those people who made involvement easy and a joy. But she was strong-willed and things got done.”

Many knew Valdez from visits with her in her yard, or her and Toby’s daily visits to Lindsley Park, where Valdez would tend to annual and perennial gardens. Others encountered her during the holiday season when she worked with neighborhood volunteers to decorate the small evergreen trees with ornaments in the picnic area of Lindsley Park.

Her strong sense of community helped hold the fabric of the neighborhood together.

Valdez joined the Bellevue-Hale Neighborhood Association’s Board of Trustees in 1979, just two years after the neighborhood organization was formed and registered with the city and county of Denver. Her tenure includes serving as president for a number of years.

Just some of the community gatherings Valdez was involved with include an outdoor family movie night with live music, food and ice cream trucks;