Valerie Fletcher

Valerie Fletcher, age 91, of Newark, DE via the United Kingdom passed away Thursday, July 3, 2025. Valerie was born Jan. 9 1934 in Weldon, UK to Marjorie and Edward “Jim” Warner. She grew up with three siblings — Iris, Barbara and Clifford — in a rural village, where she learned how to live off the land. As a child during World War II, Valerie attended children’s parties on an American military base. During the Blitz, her parents temporarily housed children who were evacuated from London. Valerie had fond memories of the children in her parents’ care. As a teenager, she played on a local girls’ cricket team, and enjoyed dancing at the drill hall with her sisters. After leaving school, Valerie went to London to train as a petrol pump (gas) attendant, which was previously male dominated. She later trained as a comptometer operator — learning how to use a mechanical calculator, a device used in the accounting and business industries. This led Valerie to a future position in the payroll office at Stewarts and Lloyds, now British Steel. She met her husband Adrian “Stuart” Fletcher at the drill hall in Kettering, which he visited while on leave from the Navy. Valerie caught Stuart’s eye from across the room, and he would later recall knowing he would marry her one day. The couple enjoyed going out to dance and playing card games with their friends. After getting married, the Fletchers moved to a farm in Cornwall, where Stuart was stationed. Valerie gave birth to their daughter Kim in 1956, and raised her in Portsmouth for two years before moving to Corby. That’s where Valerie became a manager at Spencer Court Stationers, a small book store. She frequently brought books home to teach Kim how to read — which influenced her daughter’s love of literature. Kim has fond memories of spending time at the beach with her parents, where they’d build sand castles. In 1968, the Fletchers moved to South Africa for two years where Valerie worked at Mercedes Benz. Upon returning to the UK, she worked for Avon Cosmetics for more than two decades as a credit control specialist. Valerie became friends with several coworkers, who enjoyed attending social events together, including a fancy dress party at which she dressed and performed as Dolly Parton. She later became a devoted grandmother to Carl and Zoë, whom she enjoyed babysitting and playing games with. Among her hobbies, Valerie enjoyed knitting for her daughter and grandchildren. Later in life, she was an avid gardener known for turning a twig into a flowering bush. Valerie was very dedicated to her garden, wanting it to be the most attractive in the neighborhood. After retirement, she moved to the United States to live with her daughter and granddaughter. Valerie maintained her daughter’s garden and helped her family in any way possible. In her later years, she enjoyed crosswords and word games, and was an ardent Jeopardy viewer — often knowing most of the answers. In addition to her parents, Valerie was preceded in death by her husband Stuart, grandson Carl, nephew Mark, and siblings Iris, Barbara and Cliff. She is survived by her daughter Kim, granddaughter Zoë, nieces Gail, Linda, Mandy and Julie, nephews Scott and Paul, and many great nieces and nephews All services will be held privately.

Valerie Fletcher

January 9, 1934 - July 3, 2025