Valerie Mabel (Otto) Ford

To view the livestream Celebration of Life; please click the link below and it will start at 12:30pm for the 1pm service.

Glenboro School ~ Val Ford Celebration of Life

We are sad to announce that Valerie Mabel Ford (nee Otto) made the final brushstrokes on the beautiful canvas that was her life on Sunday, September 22nd, 2024, at 72 years old.

Valerie was born on July 17th, 1952, in Gladstone, Manitoba, to Walter and Mabel Otto.  As the family’s only daughter mixed in with their 3 sons (Ken, Tom, and Gary,) she expressed a love for music from a young age, excelling with her voice and skills on the accordion.  She followed those passions to study music at Brandon University.  She graduated with a Bachelor of Teaching degree (with a major in music) in 1976, and followed up with a Bachelor of Education degree in 1981.  Her learning did not stop there, as she continued to further her skills as a music teacher throughout her life.

While at Brandon University, she met the true love of her life, Daryl Ford in January of 1971.  She swept him off his feet and they were inseparable from that point on.  They married on August 31st, 1973, and a year later were blessed with their first son, Glen.  They established a home in Glenboro, Manitoba in 1975, and 5 years later welcomed their second son, Chris, to complete their family.  At least until Robin Ford married Chris and brought them their grandson (aka pride and joy), Cassius.  Family was an important theme in Val’s life, as she developed close bonds with her brothers’ wives Linda (Ken), Verna (Tom), and Wendee (Gary).  Along with them, family too numerous to mention individually (cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.) with the last names of Otto, Howe, Carefoot, and Nagel, were spread all over Canada but always near and dear to her heart.

Val’s skills and dedication to teaching were a great asset to any school she worked for.  She started at Glenboro School in 1976, teaching music and Grade 4 classroom to the elementary classes.  She taught thousands of students in Glenboro until 2007, with a slight interruption from 1991 to 1992 where she spent time in New Zealand on a teacher exchange with her family before returning as an itinerant music teacher throughout Tiger Hills School Division.  She transitioned from the itinerant position to teaching back in the elementary classes in Glenboro, but never gave up on bringing music into peoples’ lives.  Wherever she went, she helped stage large musical productions for her students to entertain the community, and her Christmas concerts were can’t miss attractions every year.  With all this going on, plus her undying support to the school’s volleyball teams, she still had the energy to light up the hallways and staffroom with her ever-present smile, making dear friends among staff and students alike.

Val also developed a real passion on the golf course, where she shared her love of the sport with her family and was an active promoter of female golf in the community. She participated regularly in the ladies golf night at Glenboro Golf Club, and at various times served on the golf club executive, was a former club champion, and achieved success in coaching the girl’s high school golf team.

After retirement and in search of a new challenge, Val turned to painting.  She took classes whenever she could and threw herself into this new pursuit with the same joy and vigor that she attacked everything in her life.  She joined the Hamiota Art Club for weekly painting sessions and inspiration, developing enduring friendships along with the constant gabfests.  She proved a quick study, developing into a talented artist with paintings being displayed throughout Manitoba.

Val is survived by her husband Daryl, sons Glen and Christopher Ford, daughter-in-law Robin Ford, grandson Cassius Ford, brothers Ken (Linda, Joey, Jason, Keith, Karen) Otto, Tom (Verna, Jason, Julie, Phil, Kelly) Otto, and Gary (Wendee, Dan, Adam, Ema) Otto.

A Celebration of Val’s life is scheduled on Saturday, October 19th, 2024 at 1:00 PM in the Glenboro School Gymnasium with Sharon Hamilton officiating.  Reception to follow.

In lieu of flower, please donate in her name to Cancer Care Manitoba, 1160-675 McDermot Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0V9 or the Glenboro Palliative Care Committee, Box 310, Glenboro, MB or to the New Spirit Sands Medical Clinic, (make payable to R.M. of Glenboro-South Cypress) Box 129, Glenboro, MB, R0K 0X0.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Valerie Mabel (Otto) Ford, please visit our floral store.