Andy Saldana

Surrounded by family, Andrez “Andy” Saldana passed away after an extended illness on Thursday, December 24th. Andy was born to Damiana and Gertudis Saldana in Sidney, Montana on January 5th, 1939. One of 5 children, Andy spent his youth in Yakima with his family, and never left. Andy was always a hard worker, sometimes working 3 jobs at a time. He spent most of his working years with Libby’s Canary and Chinook Mobile Lodge, and later in life retired from the Yakima School District as a property management custodian. Andy was married to Lila Zumwalt in 1960, a union that lasted almost 20 years, and they had four children. The family grew and most still remain in Yakima. Andy was a devoted member of the Catholic Church, attending St. Joseph’s and later Holy Rosary Church in Moxee when he moved to Moxee later in life. Andy enjoyed hunting, sometimes going out to LT Murry in Selah or the Nile Valley for birds, or with friends hunting for deer. Weekends would find him with family camping or fishing at Bumping Lake, or simply relaxing with everyone at Indian Creek campground. And Andy love to dance and shoot pool! Whether it was the Boondocks in Yakima, the Eagles Club or the long gone Saddle Tree, he’d be kicking up his heels to Elvis Presley, Freddy Fender, Johnny Rivers, and many more. He also loved to travel, going to a Vintique car show or travelling thru Mexico or Las Vegas. Sometimes he would put together a trip with the family to the Beach, or just jump in the car and take a drive into the mountains. Andy remarried in 1991 to Maria Carmen Castillo, who brought into his life a step-son. The couple stayed busy with the extended family, and Andy was always busy checking in on all of his children, grandchildren and great-grandkids. A day didn’t go by in which Andy failed to reach out to the family via phone or a quick visit. In keeping with the family traditions and honoring the memory of his mother Damina, no soul ever left Andy’s home hungry. Andy had a great love for his family and there was nothing he would not do for them. He is survived by his wife of 24 years Maria Carmen Saldana and children Laura Saldana, Angela Saldana, Brian Saldana, Shari Lynn Keeth (Cecil), and his step-son Victor Pizano. He also is survived by his brothers Saul (Nora) and Salvador (Janet), and sisters Connie Courcy and Mary (Chuck) Pierson. He was also blessed with 13 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents Damiana and Gertudis Saldana. Viewing will be held Monday, Jan 4th, at Valley Hills Funeral Home, 2600 Business Lane in Yakima from 2pm until 7 pm. A Rosary for Andy will begin at 6pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Tuesday, January 5th, 2016 at 10am at St Joseph’s Catholic Church, 212 N. 4th St., Yakima, WA 98901. Following Mass interment will be at Terrace Heights Memorial. After interment a reception will be held back at St. Josephs in Schoenberg Hall. Valley Hills Funeral Home is caring for the family. Online condolences may be left at www.valleyhillsfh.com To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Andy Saldana, please visit our flower store.