Obituaries

In Memoriam: Keri Starling, 53

Keri Lynn Wallace Starling was born in Brunswick Maine when her parents Ed and Dori Wallace were stationed with the Navy in Maine. She We grew up in many places during Dad's Navy career, including Maine, Georgia, Rhode Island, Bermuda, New Jersey, Virginia, and Florida. 

Keri loved angels, horseback-riding, dancing, daisies, country music, puppies, dogs of all kinds – especially Golden Retrievers. She had a deep love for God and an especially strong love for her parents, Ed and Dori…and her extended family. The Love of her Life was Joe Allen Starling, who she met at ball room dance classes in Florida twenty years ago. Most of Keri's employment was in the administrative side of health services, and she recently completed her licensing credentials as a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA). 

Keri had cared for Joe during his illness and looked forward to caring for her parents in the future. She was always complimented for being compassionate, patient, and very caring. When Keri and Joe married twenty years ago, her family grew with the addition of Joe's sister Joy and her husband David, and Joy's children Summer and Connor. Keri also grew to love Joe's late parents Jean and Moe Starling and Joe's stepmom Georgia Starling and their extended family. Most of these wonderful people are from the South, and Keri loved all things Southern—The southern accent, the food, the generosity and hospitality, and the gentility of Southern Manners. 

Keri and Joe lived near Keri's parents in Virginia and in Florida—in fact, Keri lived with, or very close by, her parents all of her life. When Joe was challenged with cancer, Gary Dayton and her sister Kate McDonnold asked Keri and Joe to move to Connecticut to live with them in 2009. Gary was very close to Keri, Joe, and their Golden, Riley. Joe passed to heaven with Joy and Gary at his side in 2011. 

After a beautiful service at Walnut Hill Community Church in January 2011, Keri and Kate brought Joe's ashes to be planted in Georgia near Joe's Dad. Joy, David, and Georgia helped make Joe's Military Funeral very special. Joe and his Dad are proud U.S. Marines…David is an Army officer, Summer is a Coast Guard officer, and Keri's side of the family is all Navy all the way. Everyone got along phenomenally with only minor differences of opinion as to which flag should be hoisted highest on the flagpole on Armed Forces Day. Keri and her brother Kevin were very close, with coast-to-coast long telephone conversations regularly. They talked about how Keri missed Joe, about family, about Keri's pride in her C.N.A. persuits, their mutual job challenges, life with Kate and Gary, life with Kevin's friends in Oregon, Kevin's pride in his son Grant Thomas Wallace, and of course Keri's love for Riley. 

Both Kevin and Grant live on the West Coast.
Walnut Hill Community Church is and always has been a very special community for Keri and Joe. The Cancer Support Group welcomed them into the church and provided incredible love, support, fellowship, and a joint sharing of the strong relationship Keri and Joe have in Jesus and the promise of eternal life with God in Heaven. This gift was shared with all who knew Keri and Joe, as they demonstrated a life of following the Bible in all their words, thoughts, and deeds. 

Keri will be remembered for her warmth of spirit, her love of family, her generosity with her time, thoughts, actions, possessions, and enduring words of affirmation and encouragement for others. Keri found greeting cards to commemorate every occasion under the sun and sent them liberally with loving and uplifting words always perfectly suited to any and every occasion. Her knack for remembering everyone's special concerns, likes, dislikes, and favorite things was spectacular. She made everyone she touched feel special. Keri's marriage to Joe was the perfect example of soul-mates and we take comfort in knowing Keri and Joe are together in Heaven.

Keri, you are loved, admired, respected, missed deeply…and will live on forever in our happy memories of you and in our prayers. God Bless You. - See more at: http://www.leskopolkefuneralhome.com/obituary/Keri-Lynn-Starling/Newtown-CT/1298547#sthash.OG72B7I6....
Obituary courtesy of Lesko-Polke Funeral Home in Fairfield, CT.


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