Valerie Lundeen: What Happened To Ron Ely’s Wife?

Valerie Lundeen is the late wife of American actor and novelist Ronald Pierce Ely popularly known as Ron Ely. Valerie’s husband Ron Ely is best known for having portrayed Tarzan in the 1966–1968 NBC series Tarzan and for playing the lead role in the film Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975). He had retired from acting in 2001 but later returned to acting.

Valerie Lundeen: Bio Summary

Who Was Ron Ely’s Wife, Valerie Lundeen?

Valerie Lundeen was born on 13 October 1956, in Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA, according to Findagrave. Other sources have it that she was born in the year 1957, in Miami, Florida, USA. She was the daughter of Arthur Lundeen and Isabelle Margaret Gomzy Lundeen. She may have siblings but their information is not available.

Valerie Lundeen holds an American nationality and is of Caucasian ethnicity. Several facts about her early life and family have been kept private. She is said to have studied at a local high school in Florida. She attended Stetson University for her further education and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree.

Valerie was a former Miss Florida USA. Representing Miami, she made it to the finals of the competition and was crowned Miss Florida, at the pageant of the year 1981. Later, she participated in Miss USA but did not win. She had also worked as a flight attendant. In 1980, she became Miss Airline International, which is a beauty pageant for flight attendants and other airline workers.

Valerie Lundeen was the wife of American actor and novelist Ron Ely. She became Ron Ely’s wife on March 10, 1984. Valerie and Ron are the parents of three children. Their children are, Kirsten Ely, Kaitland Ely, and Cameron Ely. Valerie’s children often share posts of their mother on social media.

Valerie’s daughter Kirsten Ely once shared on Facebook: “I am thirty. She is almost sixty. Half her age. Lucky to be almost half the woman she is. mother. mama. mother earth. mama moon. my own personal goddess.” She added that: “thank you for teaching me to take care of myself inside (self-love! #thefutureisfemale ) + outside (your skincare routine has become mine… thank you for the secrets!).

“One of my purposes in life is to continue down the path that you have started… that you have forged… and to find new uncharted territory. Thank you, momma. And her momma (love you, Maggie). And Maggie’s momma (thank you, Nahmama). Thank you for this legacy of women… I hope to make you all proud.” In 2017, on Mother’s Day, Kaitland shared:

ALSO, READ: Cathy Ely: Where Is Ron Ely’s Ex-wife Now?

“My best friend. My world. My mom! I love you more than you will ever know…” she wrote. “Thank you for encouraging me to believe in fairytales… YOU are a modern day fairytale:) Thank you for existing. Thank you for blessing me with endless love and support. Thank you for making the world a better place… Thank you for being you:) I love you forever and a day!”

Valerie maintained a low profile although she was married to a famous entertainer. She didn’t involve herself in any public drama or controversy. Valerie was not the first woman Ron Ely married. Before Ron will marry Valerie, he had divorced Cathy Ely. Ron and Cathy were married from 1959 to 1961. They had zero children together. Valerie and Ron Ely remained married until Valerie passed away.

What Happened To Ron Ely’s Wife?

Valerie Lundeen was killed on the 15th of October 2019 when she was 62/63 years old. Unfortunately, Ron Ely’s wife Valerie was stabbed to death at home in Hope Ranch, Santa Barbara County, California, USA, where she and her husband lived. The Police were called to the scene and when they arrived they found Valerie dead with “multiple stab wounds.”

The suspect was identified as Valerie Lundeen and Ron Ely’s son Cameron Ely. Cameron was shot and killed by the police. The Santa Barbara County sheriff’s statement said: “Deputies searched the residence and surrounding area for Cameron Ely. During the search, the murder suspect was located outside the home.”

“The suspect told deputies that he had a gun, advanced towards the deputies, and motioned with his hands as if he were drawing a weapon. In response, four deputies fired a total of 24 rounds from their service weapons, fatally wounding the suspect. When deputies were able to safely approached Cameron using a ballistic shield, they found that he had feigned being armed and did not have a weapon.”

“None of the deputies were injured during the confrontation with the suspect.” Ron Ely who was home at the time of the incident is said to have had a challenge communicating with officers because of a medical condition that impeded his speech, authorities said.

In 2020, Ron Ely challenged the Santa Barbara District Attorney after the police’s actions were described as justifiable homicide by the district attorney. Per Daily Mail, Ron claimed that his son Cameron was surrendering when he was shot 22 times by officers.

A lawsuit also argued that Ron’s wife Valerie was left to die by deputies who failed to check if she was still alive and took 30 minutes to get medical help. “The reprehensible conduct of the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department Deputies was egregious, entirely unreasonable, and, accordingly, unconstitutional,” the claim alleged.

No charges were filed against the deputies who were involved in the shooting. Valerie Lundeen and Ron Ely’s daughters, Kirsten Ely, and Kaitland Ely held a press conference about the deaths of Cameron and Valerie. During the conference, Kirsten and Kaitlaind said they were “unable to pick up the pieces due to the intentional deception, ineptitude and disregard for human life demonstrated by the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department.”

ALSO, READ: Cameron Ely: How Did Ron Ely’s Son Die?

“The audio recording is conclusive proof that the statement the DA released saying the shooting was justified is nothing more than a series of lies strung together to protect the deputies from their actions and to conceal the truth of what really happened to Cameron,” said Kirsten.

Kaitland said her mother was a ‘real-life fairy godmother’ and her brother Cameron was a “gifted athlete and musician”.