Our beloved Mother, Grandmother, Great-Nani, Sister, Aunt and Friend, Valerie Anita Lipari passed away on Monday, January 25, 2021 at the age of 68.

Valerie was born on July 12, 1952 in Kansas City, MO to Willa Maxine Hankins and Carl Lipari.

She was a long-time resident of Northeast before moving to Platte City, MO in 2018.  She attended Thatcher Elementary School, Northeast Jr. High School, and Northeast High School - Class of 1970.  She attended Oakley Methodist Church as a child and Budd Park Christian Church as an adult. She was a Girl Scout and Girl Scout Leader with over 20 years of membership in the organization.

Valerie had a true sense of adventure.  She lived in many places across the country outside of Kansas City throughout her short life.  She lived in Bushnell, FL, Lake Tahoe-Kings Beach, CA, San Diego-Chula Vista, CA, and Las Vegas-Pahrump, NV.  During her time living in these locales, she enjoyed the beaches, hiking and riding bikes in the mountains, going to the movies and roller skating.

She worked in the Food Service industry her entire life.  She worked at Jennie's Italian Restaurant, The Italian Gardens, Tolly's Italian Restaurant, and the Milano as a server.  She worked at the Kansas City Club first as a server in the Walnut Room and later as the Maitre'D on the Starlight Roof.  In Lake Tahoe, she worked as a server at the Crystal Bay Club and Casino and her last employment was as a cashier at Cascone's Grill at the City Market.

Her true passion in life was her family.  She cared for and helped to raise her granddaughter Emma and great-grandson Xzander.  She had a passion for cats, and she worked tirelessly with Kansas City area organizations and vets to get feral cats spayed and neutered.  She trapped, rescued, and cared for hundreds of cats in her lifetime.

She was a foodie before it was popular.  She loved going out to eat at Kansas City area restaurants and was a part of two groups of friends over the years that called themselves 'The Gourmet Girls' who went to eat at places like Tiffany's Attic and Annie's Santa Fe.  She loved to dance and listen to Motown (The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, The Jacksons, etc.), 1980's Country Music, Neil Diamond, Engelbert Humperdinck, Kenny Rogers, and Dr. Hook - most of these she saw live.

She had a talent for home decor and would decorate our homes with butterflies and owls.  She was an excellent cook - specializing in Italian and Mexican cooking, she loved fashion, she had a "green thumb" and had a variety of beautiful house plants over the years, she was a whiz at car repair and knowing the year, make and model of classic cars on sight.  She was a fun, loving, kind person to all.  She was hard-working and a beautiful person inside and out. She was very proud of her Sicilian, Cherokee Native American, and Scots-Irish heritages.

Valerie was preceded in death by her parents; her grandparents Vito and Vita (Savoca) Lipari of Kansas City, MO, Walter and Marie (Scruggs) Hankins of Goodland, KS; half-siblings Nicholas Thompson of Safford, AZ and Judy Williamson of Kansas City, MO; former husbands Frank Rodriguez and Kirt Morrissey; and many loving aunts, uncles and beloved pets. She is survived by her daughter Gina Lipari-Williams (Jack) of Platte City, MO; her son Alex Rodriguez (Crystal) of Ottawa, KS; grandchildren Emma Rodriguez, Joseph (Alysha), Matthew, and Natalie Rodriguez; great-grandchildren Xzander Carey, Logan Jin and Winter Torres; brother Ted Lipari; sisters-in-law Ann Rodriguez, Edythe Rodriguez, Sandra Rodriguez and Dolores Martinez; brothers-in-law Carl (Evelyn) and John (Theresa) Rodriguez; and numerous nieces, nephews, loving relatives and friends.

Valerie will be missed by all who knew her and loved her.

Visitation will be 5-7 p.m. Monday, February 1, at Passantino Bros. Funeral Home, KCMO. Funeral Services will be 11 a.m. on Tuesday, February 2, at the Funeral Home, followed by burial at Mt. Saint Mary's Cemetery, KCMO. Masks and social distancing are required for all services. The Funeral Service will be live-streamed on our Facebook page .

The family requests contributions to assist the family with funeral expenses. Contributions can be made at https://www.gofundme.com/f/funeral-and-burial-expenses-for-valerie-lipari

Condolences may be offered at www.passantinobros.com