Valerie Anne Schlecht

November 13, 1955 – May 18, 2021

Valerie Anne Schlecht passed away peacefully on May 18, 2021, in Denver, Colorado.  She leaves behind three children, Crystal Stasyszen (and husband Mark Stasyszen), Stardust Wilson (Jimmy Wilson), and Ed Wunch (Bethany Lang), and one grandchild, Lee Stasyszen.

Valerie was born in Huntington, New York, in 1955.  After high school, she earned her B.S. in Physics at Stony Brook University, before moving to California where her children were born and raised.  Anyone who knew her knew that she was incredibly proud of her children and their accomplishments.  As they were finishing high school, Valerie went on to earn her M.S. in Physics, with a focus in Optics.

Her career in optical engineering brought her to Colorado around 2010.  It was only after leaving that career that she found her true passion in advocating for those with disabilities, as she herself dealt with her own physical and mental health disabilities.  The one core principle that guided Valerie's life was that every person deserved to be cared for and treated with respect.  When she would get in sometimes heated disagreements, it was often because someone disagreed with her about that principle.

Over the last few years she worked with the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition as an advocate.  Her family requests that in lieu of flowers people make a donation to the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition ( https://www.ccdconline.org/donate/ ).