Mary Stark Obituary

Mary Frances Phillips Stark (Mary Frances to those in Texas, and Mary, Mom, Grandma and Darling to everyone else) passed away September 22, 2016 after a brief stay in the hospital.

One of the things my mother and I had in common was reading the daily newspaper. She read the Denver Post to stay current with what was happening and read the Gazette's obituaries to see which friends had died. At 86, it was becoming more frequent that she knew someone that was listed. I, too, read the obituaries, but not just to see if a friend had passed, but also to read about people's lives. Mom and I discussed how people died tragically, died too soon, and fought health battles. We also commented on the full lives people led. So many people had high level jobs, spoke more than one language and travelled the world….

Now that it is time to put our mother's life into words, it is apparent how difficult it is. After sharing memories about our mom, we have come to realize what a very full life she led. Mom didn't travel all of the world (just some of it), she spoke one other language (Texan) and she had four of the most important jobs anyone could have: Wife, Mother, Grandmother and Friend.

Mary's life began on April 9, 1930 in Amarillo, Texas. She was the only Texan in the family and proud of it. Her siblings were born in Oklahoma. When she was 18 months old she moved to an oil camp outside of the soon-to-be boom town of Borger, Texas. She attended Borger High School and was a member of the National Honor Society and a member of Rainbow Girls. Her first love was horses and from the age of five until she married she was never without a horse.

For two years she attended Cottey Junior College in Nevada, Missouri and was invited to become a member of PEO and served that organization for the rest of her life. She transferred to CU in Boulder where she received her BA in business. CU was where she met her future husband, Ed Stark (our father) and that is when her real adventure began. She was married in 1951 and would have celebrated her 65th wedding anniversary this November. Her first son Mid was born in 1953, followed by Brian in 1956, and then Judson in 1962 and lastly Randy in 1963.

Mom and dad started their life together in La Junta, Colorado and spent 18 years building a family and making friends before moving to Colorado Springs in 1969. It was after moving to Colorado Springs that mom and dad took up the game of golf. She was an avid golfer, traveled the world playing golf, won many tournaments, had 3 holes in one and unknowingly played her last nine holes of golf at Colorado Springs Country Club the week before she died of a sudden and unexpected viral lung illness.

For those of you that knew our mother, you knew that she loved clothes and always looked nice. She worked for years for Judy Bell at the Short Story in the Broadmoor hotel, and rumors have it that she never took home a paycheck!

Mom fully embraced life and all of the humor in it. Mary could tell a joke like no other and we are sorry for those of you who missed it. She noticed the smallest detail about those she cared for and always took the opportunity to think of others before herself.

Mary is survived by her beloved husband Ed Stark, her son Brian (Suzzan) and granddaughter Ashley; son Randy (Mary) and their son Ben. She is also survived by her niece Shirley F Fancher, whom she loved dearly and her husband Ed and their children and grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her two sons Judson and Mid, all of her siblings, her parents and countless nieces and nephews and friends all over the world.

She will be greatly missed.

A Celebration of Life will be held at

The Garden of the Gods Club

Friday, September 30th at 4:00 PM

3320 Mesa Road, 80904

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to:

Pikes Peak Hospice and Palliative Care

2550 Tenderfoot Hill Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80908

CASA of the Pikes Peak Region

701 South Cascade Avenue

Colorado Springs, CO 80903