BOSTON, MA (JANUARY 3, 2024) The History Project mourns the loss of community leader Orlando Del Valle. Orlando served on The History Project's Board of Directors for many years and was awarded the 2018 HistoryMaker Award. His remarks, available in full online, explored his profound and lasting effect on Boston's LGTBQ+ community - from the founding of Club Antorcha, a social club for Latino gay men, to his work with Cambridge Health Alliance, Positive Directions, La Alianza Hispana, and the Latino Health Network/Institute. 

To Orlando's friends, family, and the entire LGBTQ+ community, we extend our deepest condolences and our gratitude for Orlando's activism, organizing, and ferocity. Donations in his honor may be made at http://www.historyproject.org/support. A celebration of Orlando's remarkable life is planned for the spring.

Below is Orlando's obituary, shared with us by his husband, Roland St. Jean.

Orlando Dev Valle, September 30, 1940 - December 30, 2023

On the morning of December 30, Orlando Del Valle passed away peacefully in his sleep at Belmont Manor Nursing Home following an extended battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

As an eighth-grade student in the South Bronx, where he was born, Orlando was accepted to the prestigious High School of Music and Arts in Manhattan – a rare opportunity that he always said forever changed the course of his life. He later obtained degrees from Alfred University and Boston University.

Orlando was the son of Salvatore Del Valle and Hilda (Hernandez) Del Valle. He is survived by his loving husband and best friend, Roland St. Jean of Cambridge and Provincetown, Massachusetts, and by his son, Nicholas Del Valle, his daughter-in-law Jacqueline Del Valle, and his cherished granddaughter Elodie, all of Brooklyn, New York. Orlando is also survived by his brother Hector of the Bronx.

Orlando was the former husband of Elisabeth Amaral Silberstein of Manhattan. Throughout their lives, he maintained a close friendship and connection with Elisabeth, and with her present husband, Robert Silberstein.

Orlando was a dynamo, whose lifetime achievements and joie de vivre had a profound and lasting effect on Greater Boston’s LGTBQ+ community. He was a founder of Club Antorcha, a social club for Latino gay men, who at the time were often marginalized within the gay community. His tireless advocacy included work with the Cambridge Health Alliance, Positive Directions, la Alianza Hispana, and the Theater Offensive. He was a founder of the Latino Health Network/Institute, which was established at the height of the AIDS epidemic to address the healthcare disparities faced by Boston’s Latinos. Orlando also worked in the Dukakis Administration, where he served as the liaison to Boston’s Latino community. In the latter part of Orlando's career, he served for 10 years as a psychotherapist at Cambridge Hospital.

A man of many hats, Orlando’s colorful career included stints as co-owner of Duck Soup, an innovative soup and sandwich restaurant in Harvard Square, and a children’s clothing store, Czar Nicholas and the Toad. He taught dance (disco and salsa) at the Joy of Movement Center, operated an antique business, and served as personal assistant to the legendary Sarah Caldwell of the Boston Opera Company.

No one knew how to work a crowd like Orlando. He was an active member of Los
Papagayos, a social club for gay men in the Boston area. In addition to being a welcome (and constant) presence at the Boatslip Tea Dance in Provincetown, he and Roland were jubilant participants in Provincetown’s annual Carnival parade, and a fixture at the end-of-season White Party at Delft Haven, where their jaw-dropping costumes were the stuff of legend. Always a camera in hand, Orlando took thousands of photos of friends and relatives, many of which he shared in holiday greeting cards. When Orlando turned his big brown eyes on you, you instantly became a member of an expansive and inclusive society- a place where you were seen and valued; where justice, kindness, and integrity mattered; and where the dish was always flowing freely.

While Orlando’s last years were profoundly affected by the increasing effects of memory loss, he continued to find comfort and solace in life’s small joys and daily pleasures, thanks to Roland’s boundless love and devotion, and the support of friends and caregivers.

In recognition of his vast accomplishments, Orlando was honored with the 2018 HistoryMaker Award from the History Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, documenting, and sharing the history of Boston’s LGBTQ+ community. Orlando served on the History Project’s board for many years, and the group remained especially close to his heart. If you would like to donate to the organization in honor of Orlando, please visit www.historyproject.org/support.

A celebration of Orlando’s remarkable life is planned for the spring.