A crowd of 125 filled the “secret garden” at the rear of the Sonoma Community Center on Saturday, June 1, to honor the life, work and memory of Val Robichaud. Val died unexpectedly in February of this year.
Childhood and high school friends joined Val’s working associates and family in telling stories and anecdotes. Current and past City Council members were in attendance and a California Senate resolution by State Senator Bill Dodd was presented to Val’s sister Nicole and Daughter Annie. The resolution read, in part, that Val was “A pinnacle of community journalism and a clever humorist renowned for his tireless work to amplify the voices and stories of this community while holding truth and integrity above all else.”
In memory of Val, his daughter Annie had a tattoo placed on her arm commemorating his devotion to the Sonoma Valley Sun.
By all accounts, Val’s talent and creativity was obvious to all, and from an early age his wit and cleverness earned him affection.
The Sonoma Valley Sun, the newspaper Val published for a decade, will continue. David Bolling, Larry Barnett, Anna Pier, and Alyssa Conder have dedicated their time and talents to resuming publication. An edition of the paper largely devoted to Val was distributed to the guests in attendance. Plans now include twice monthly publication, on the first and third Thursdays of each month. The Sun has been reorganized as a non-profit, and operates as a project of Inquiring Systems, Inc. until it attains its own non-profit tax status.
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