Being Luis Valls’ niece makes it difficult to maintain objectivity in judgment, but Rosa Valls-Taberner has tried to recount, with some distance and without letting emotions cloud her perspective, who her uncle was and what his mission in life was.

For Rosa, her “Uncle Luis” always had his priorities in life very clear: “God, work, and his family and friends.” To his niece, he was the most well-rounded member of the family, even though she acknowledged that the general level was quite high. Rosa said, “My uncle Luis did everything well: he played tennis well, had fantastic grades, and even danced well.”

What stands out most about her uncle is how he treated everyone with the same attention. It didn’t matter what position someone held; for him, Rosa recounts, “he was never in a hurry with anyone.” She further emphasizes, “When you went to lunch with him, he would dedicate the entire afternoon to you because he believed everyone deserved importance—there was no need to rush.”

She describes how the brothers’ roles in the bank were well distributed, stating, “They made a great team.” Luis worked more internally, while Javier focused on external matters. Without delving into rivalries and acknowledging Javier’s worth, she asserts, “Luis had the mind for how to run a bank.”

Even his own family was unaware of his social contributions, as he had arranged it that way. They always knew he was a very generous person, but, she admits, “it wasn’t until we heard everything people said about him at the funeral—how he helped so many through various foundations—that we truly understood.”

Rosa feels very proud and fortunate to have had the chance to spend so much time with him, thanks to her life being split between Barcelona and Madrid. She treasures every moment she shares with him as a gift, saying, “Thank you for how you enriched my life, for everything you taught me, and I wish you had lived longer so I could have spent more time with you.”