Vallejo Ginyard

Vallejo “Val” Ginyard passed away on March 14, 2023 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Born July 30,1948 in Brooklyn, New York to Carol Haynes and Charles Ginyard, Val was a loving husband, father, brother, son, and friend. In high school Val was a track star, training on college-style hurdles which made it easy for him to defeat his opponents during races. In life, he would continue to go the extra mile and always strive for excellence. Prior to college, Val was drafted into the US Army and served during the Vietnam War. While he never shared specifics about his time there, it's known that he began training to specialize in linguistics by the end of his career. He elected for an honorable discharge at the end of his tour instead of re-enlisting, returning home to Queens, NY where he lived with his mother and stepfather, Ernest Jackson. Many years later, Val would visit the Vietnam memorial in DC and reflect on his time in the service and recall the members of his platoon who were lost, while also being grateful that every young man who was drafted from his neighborhood made it home. In 1973, Val graduated from the fire academy with some of the highest marks in his class and went on to become a firefighter for New York City with Engine 241/Ladder 109. Around the same time, he began dating his future wife, Barbara Calimese. The two would later go on to have their first daughter, Amber. When Barbara’s job moved the family to Utah, Val took early retirement from the FDNY. In Utah, he worked as a janitor to pay his way through school, earning a degree in Computer Science. After graduating, Val went to work at a family-owned computer store. While in Utah, Val and Barbara welcomed their second daughter, Chelsea, just two days after his birthday. After living in Utah for a number of years, Val, Barbara, Amber and Chelsea moved back to the East Coast to be closer to family. Once settled in Florida they became a family of five after the birth of their third daughter, Jamie. The family only spent a few years in Florida prior to Val accepting a job with Microsoft and relocating to Charlotte, North Carolina, which the family has called home for over 30 years. He thrived at Microsoft where he worked on the Office Suite of products and continued his pursuit of knowledge. After an early retirement from Microsoft, he chose to return to the workforce at the NCDMV before finally retiring for good in 2013. Val was a people person and could make friends with anyone. He enjoyed connecting with people and being blessed with the gift of gab, often never met a stranger. His hobbies included scuba diving in his youth, photography, cooking, math, art, music, and he was known around the house as an armchair expert and couch critic. He was a strong and proud man who also had a sense of humor and a generous spirit. He was proud of his children and always supportive. He was loved by many and will be truly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him. Val is survived by his wife Barbara, his daughters Amber Ginyard, Chelsea Ginyard, Jamie Ginyard-Kennon, son-in-law Leon Kennon, granddaughter Lennox Ginyard-Kennon, and sisters Cherry Alamo and Cherrise Jackson. Val's family has given the family of Lowe-Neddo Funeral Home the privilege of caring for Val and for them. Visitation will take place at 10 AM on Wednesday, March 22, with services to follow at 11 AM in the chapel of the funeral home, 4715 Margaret Wallace Road, Matthews, NC 28105. Following the service, Val will be taken to his final place of earthly rest at Salisbury National Cemetery, 501 Statesville Blvd, Salisbury. Committal services will begin at 2 PM with military honors to follow.

Vallejo Ginyard

July 30, 1948 - March 14, 2023