Hilda Katie Starnes, 74, of Jonesboro, Ark., formerly of Morgantown, departed this life on Wednesday, April 25, 2018, at St. Bernards Medical Center.
Born in Michigan, she spent most of her childhood in Socorro, N.M. She retired as a mental health facility administrator in Frederick, Md.
She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Kenneth Starnes; son, Eric (Wendy) Starnes, of Vero Beach, Fla.; daughter, Katie (Kevin) Berry; and grandchildren, Andrew and Alison Berry, of Morgantown; brother, Jerry (Francis) Verkler, of Gainesville, Va.; sister, Ann Nieto, of Searcy, Ark.; her furbaby, Tooey; and several nieces, nephews, a host of cousins and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jewel (Sylvia) Verkler; and brother, Bill Verkler.
Hilda loved and was loved by many. Her smile shined inside and out and as the words to one of her favorite songs states, she was our sunshine. Whether making memories with friends at work, in the community, at church or with family, she formed lifelong relationships and will be dearly missed.
The family wants to extend a special thank you to the doctors and nurses in SICU at St. Bernards.
While living in Morgantown, Mrs. Starnes was a member of the Morgantown Church of Christ, where a celebration of her life will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 2, with Matt Lowe officiating.
In lieu of flowers, lasting memorials may be made at pulmonaryfibrosis.org or to the Children’s Home, 5515 Walcott Road, Paragould, AR 72450.
