Alessio 'Ello' David Valencia

LA CROSSE, Wis. — Alessio “Ello” David Valencia died in the arms of his parents on Nov. 24, 2018. He contracted a virus that caused his heart to fail and did not survive the wait for a heart on the transplant list.

Ello is survived by his parents, David and Chiana Valencia, sisters Vicenza, age 5, and Esme, age 3, and brother, Mario, age 2. The grandchild and great-grandchild of immigrants, Ello is also survived by maternal grandparents, Gregory and Mary Grace Loreti, of Ironwood, Mich., and paternal grandparents, Ernesto and Randi Valencia, of Burtrum, Minn. ,and by many aunts, uncles, and cousins — all of whom loved him dearly.

Ello was alive for 35 days, and during those days he was loved at home and in the Cardiac ICU of St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester.

We mourn the unknowns: How deep his dimple would have been when he smiled, the sound of his laughter, if his eyes would be the same dark brown as his sisters’ or hazel, like his brother, and if he could have competed with his siblings in their love of mangos, guacamole and ice cream. We mourn the chance to have known our son.

Had our son lived he would have been taught that bigger tables serve others better than walls do, that science is real, and that the responsibility of using his voice to advocate for the inclusion of all who may be excluded or marginalized is a life-long one.

Services will be held on Dec. 10, 2018, at 3:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2503 Main St., La Crosse, led by Rev. Krista Taves of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to public education, medical research, an immigrant rights group, or your local food bank. A scholarship fund has been established at Congregational Preschool, where he would have attended, and checks can be sent to the school with “Ello Scholarship Fund” in the memo. Gifts toward medical research at Mayo Clinic can be made online by visiting philanthropy.mayoclinic.org/donatemc. Select designation “Other,” key in “Children’s Center,” or “Answer in Hours within the Microbiome Program,” and in memory of Ello.