In memory of Frank Valenzuela
Born in Mesa, Arizona in 1933, Frank worked and lived at Citrona Farms from 1986 until his death in 2022, at the age of 88. Frank is survived by his wife Marie, his son Darrell, grandchildren Angelina, Christina, James, Justin, Holly and 17 great grandchildren. Frank died suddenly on the land which he loved. It was on a visit to California as a boy that he first saw the giant fig tree that still grows behind his and Marie’s home on the farm. Frank knew pretty much everything there was to know about planting trees, and was also something of a genius at inventing useful gadgets as well as a born naturalist. Frank loved the natural world and all it contained, especially little creatures he encountered at the farm like the little pond turtle he is holding. Frank also sought to preserve the early history of this region by collecting and curating a museum of specimens and artifacts which he displayed in the barn --- historic farm implements, skeletons from local wildlife, the iron horseshoes left over from the days when the farm was used to raise mules back in World War I. On encountering this extraordinary collection of California history, the well known Chinese artist Zhiwei Tu asked if he could paint “Frank’s Museum”. His memory lives on in his museum, the trees he planted and in many hearts.
Zhiwei Tu, Mr. Valenzuela’s Menagerie