Adrian Jose Rodriguez, came to the United States from Guanajuato, Mexico, in 1909, when he was just 14 years old. Like many others, he followed the harvest, picking fruits and vegetables as he worked his way north. He was working in Missouri when he heard that Rock Island was hiring in Iowa. He was just 15 then, so they hired him at first to deliver water to the other workers. But we were the first family from Mexico to settle in Valley Junction. Others came and went, but my Dad, who went by Joe, stayed.
Like most of the railroad workers, Joe lived for a while in a boxcar and eventually moved to a boarding house (the Green House) run by Dona Ciana Munoz Hernandez, who had come to Valley Junction from El Paso. She sent all her children to school there, where they became fluent in English as well as Spanish. Her daughters Lillian and Martha attended school, too, which was unusual at the time.
Lillian got married and moved to St. Louis, but when her husband died, she moved back to Valley Junction with her three children, Frank, Josephine and Jeannette Montalvo, and worked for a time at the Rock Island Railroad.
Joe and Lillian met at the boarding house and fell in love. He was quite a catch even though he never went to school. He was a hard worker and always paid his bills promptly. They married and had seven more children: Jesse, Raymond, Dolores, Robert, Velma, Henry and Mary Ellen.
Raymond “Ray” Rodriguez was born to Joseph and Lilian Rodriguez on September 2, 1922 in Valley Junction, Iowa. Ray had four brothers and five sisters, and all of his brothers served in the military.
In 1940, Ray was a student at Valley High School when he made the decision to leave school and join the Iowa National Guard. On February 10, 1941, the Guard was activated into the Army. Ray completed his basic training at Camp Claiborne in Louisiana. He was part of Company K, 133rd Infantry, 34th Division.
He later volunteered for the 1st Infantry Division, where the Darby Rangers were first formed before expanding into six battalions. Ray served in the 4th Battalion, contributing to the Rangers’ legendary status as an elite unit of highly skilled light fighters.
Ray participated in the invasion of North Africa and continued on to the invasion of Sicily, where he was wounded. Due to his injuries, he received the Purple Heart. Sergeant Ray Rodriguez was honorably discharged on June 1, 1944.
After returning to Valley Junction, he married Margaret Bejerano in 1948. Together, they had six boys: Michael, Bobby, Raymond, Rahelio, William, and Gary. One of his sons had the honor of being named after Brigadier General William Darby. Two of Ray’s sons, Bobby and Michael, also served in the military.
A dedicated Husband and Father, Ray worked for Solar Aircraft until it closed, then moved on to work for Des Moines Concrete. After several years of service, he retired from Eagle Iron Works.
He was a proud Veteran in the Valley Junction community and a member of VFW Post 8879 Emerick Williams Post.
Ray and Margaret are blessed with eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren
Ray passed away on January 17, 2001 and his beautiful wife Margaret passed away on June 12, 2022
Submitted by
William Rodriquez
Date May 14, 2026
