Edmundo Valencia Ibaã±Es

General Ret. Edmundo Valencia Ibañez passed away on December 28, 2018 at the Autumn Leaves in Overland Park, Kansas.

He was born on March 8, 1925 to Juan de Dios Valencia and Sara Ibañez de Valencia at La Paz Bolivia.

He is survived by his loving children Marcelo, Javier, Pilar and Alvaro, his grandchildren Juan Pablo, Sarah, Chris, Nico, Daniela, Benjamin, Kayla, Daniel, Mathew and Michael and his great grandchildren William, Emillee and Stella. He was preceded in death by his wife Violet who passed away in 2004.

Edmundo was an incredibly accomplished man. Because of his academic achievements he skipped one grade in HS and joined the Bolivian Army's prestigious Military Academy as one of the younger cadets ever and finished at the top of his class. He reached the rank of 3-star General and he held many high position including Division Commander and Military Attaché to France; he attended and graduated as the second highest Allied Office from the Command and Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, one of the more prestigious advance military studies programs in the world. As a diplomat he was Ambassador to the United States, Canada and the Organization of American States (OAS). As a statesman he held cabinet position including Secretary of Economics and Industry & Trade, Executive Director of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and other high position including IDB representative to Honduras. Throughout his career he had the opportunity to meet numerous heads of state and received many decorations including the Order of Brilliant Star from Taiwan and the Order of May from Argentina. He was a devout Catholica and because of his contributions to the church and the social work he did he was knighted by Pope Paul VI into the Order of St. Sylvester. He also held a number of awards and decorations from the Bolivian Army as well as many other countries and International organizations. He was a life time Rotarian.

In his younger years he was an accomplished equestrian and he was also a member of the Bolivian Army equestrian team and competed nationally and internationally winning many awards.

After retirement he moved to Sarasota Florida where he resided for over 20 years. In 2011 he moved to Santa Marta Retirement Home in Olathe Kansas and then to Autumn Leaves near his son Javier.

He leaves a legacy of honor, honesty and quiet dignity that everyone that knew him admired and respected greatly. The "general," as his friend fondly called him, will be greatly missed.

Per his request, he will be cremated and his ashes returned to Bolivia, the country where he was born and he loved so much and to which he dedicated the majority of his professional life; some will stay here in the US, the country he adopted, loved and chose to spend the second part of his life.


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