Mamie Fant Starks

DIGNITY, ELEGANCE, COURAGE, FAITH-FILLED AND QUIET STRENGTH ARE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE SOMEONE SO SWEET, KIND AND THOUGHTFUL. BORN ON AUGUST 29, 1936, MAMIE WAS RAISED AS AN ONLY CHILD BY HER LOVING PARENTS THE LATE SAM AND STELLA DAY FANT IN OAKLAND, KENTUCKY. WHILE GROWING UP SHE WAS CLOSE WITH HER GRANDPARENTS THE LATE WEBSTER (GLAZZY) & LOU BARKLEY DAY AND DAVID AND FANNIE FANT ALONG WITH HER SISTER-COUSIN MABEL DAY WHO WOULD REMAIN A CONSTANT THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES. GROWING UP SHE WAS ACTIVE IN CHURCH ATTENDING WITH HER PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS AND LATER BECOMING A MEMBER OF HER GRANDMOTHER LOU'S CHURCH, PLEASANT VIEW BAPTIST CHURCH IN SMITH'S GROVE, KENTUCKY. AS ASTUDENT AT STATE STREET HIGH SCHOOL SHE MET HER HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEART AND CLASSMATE AND AFTER GRADUATING FROM THE FIRST CLASS OF HIGH STREET HIGH SCHOOL SHE WAS JOINED IN MARRIAGE TO BUEL VANCE STARKS. MAMIE'S UNION TO BUEL WAS THE DEFINING PARTNERSHIP OF HER LIFE. THEY FORGED A LASTING RELATIONSHIP REPLETE WITH LOVE, MUTUAL INTERESTS AND SHARED IDEALS UNTIL HIS DEATH. SHE EXPOSED HER CHILDREN AND OPENED THEIR WORLD TO POSSIBILITIES THROUGH VARIED LIFE EXPERIENCES. TOGETHER THEY RAISED FOUR CHILDREN - MICHAEL, JACKIE, CASSANDRA AND SAM. DURING THEIR UPBRINGING THE CHILDREN WERE OFTEN ATTENDING CHURCH OR BASKET DINNERS AT OAKLAND MOUNT ZION BAPTIST OR PLEASANT VIEW. HOWEVER, THEY EACH JOINED STATE STREET BAPTIST CHURCH WERE HER HUSBAND'S FAMILY WORSHIPED. SUBSEQUENTLY MAMIE BECAME A MEMBER AT STATE STREET BAPTIST. SHE NEVER LET GO OF HER CLOSE TIES AND FELLOWSHIP AT PLEASANT VIEW. HER LINEAGE LED BACK TO 1797 IN OAKLAND, KENTUCKY TO THE FREEPORT COMMUNITY, WHICH WAS THE FIRST SETTLEMENT FOR THE SHOBE FAMILY. IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE 1800'S, THE FREEPORT AREA WAS GIVEN TO A FEW CHOSEN BLACK RESIDENTS IN THE CONCLUSION OF THE SLAVERY PERIOD. FROM THIS ACT OF GOODWILL, THE AREA BECAME KNOWN AS "FREEPORT." SHE WAS VERY CLOSE TO HER COUSINS WHOM SHE LOVED AND ALWAYS ENJOYED WORKING & FELLOWSHIPPING WITH DURING THEIR SHOBE FAMILY REUNIONS. MAMIE HELD A SERIES OF POSITIONS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY ACTION OF SOUTHERN KENTUCKY AGENCY AS BOTH DIRECTING THE SUMMER FEEDING PROGRAM PROJECT ACROSS THE REGION AND LATER AS A PRE-K TEACHER UNTIL HER RETIREMENT FROM THE LITTLE TREASURES LEARNING CENTER. THROUGHOUT HER LIFE SHE EXHIBITED STRENGTH OF CHARACTER WHICH BECAME THE GUIDING FORCE BOTH AT HOME AND IN LIFE. SHE WAS BLESSED TO HAVE HAD SO MANY SISTER-FRIENDS WHO HAVE TRAVELED ALONG HER PATH AND BECAME PART OF HER EXTENDED FAMILY. THIS WAS EVIDENT BY HER CHILDHOOD AND LIFELONG FAMILY & FRIENDS WHOM SHE HELD IN HIGH ESTEEM: MABEL, BARBARA JEAN, HARVELLA, BARBARA, BETTY FAYE, MARY, BETTY, EDNA, LILLIAN AND ELIZABETH. SHE LEAVES A LEGACY OF LOVE AND RECONCILIATION WITH HER LOVING AND DEVOTED CHILDREN, MICHAEL VANCE, JACKIE DUANE, CASSANDRA FAYE AND SAMUELBUELL; HER LOVING AND DEVOTED GRANDDAUGHTER, BRIDGETTE YAWN AND HER MOTHER BARBARA ALONG WITH HER BROTHER TIMOTHY; HER LOVING GREAT GRANDCHILDREN, KAMIYA CHANEL AND RYAN JOSEPH; HER GOD-DAUGHTER ANGELA HARRIS TODD AND HER MOTHER SISTER-FRIEND BETTY SHANNON HARRIS AND MEMBERS OF THE FANT, DAY, SHOBE AND STARKS FAMILIES ALONG WITH A HOST OF FRIENDS. THROUGHOUT HER LIFE AND CAREER, MAMIE WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR HER KINDNESS, GENEROSITY AND BEAUTIFUL SPIRIT. NOW HER SPIRIT AND LIGHT, WILL FOREVER WARM OUR SOULS AND FILL OUR HEARTS. Sincerely, -Your friends at Burnam and Son

Mamie Fant Starks

August 29, 1936 - February 4, 2023

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Mamie Fant Starks

August 29, 1936 - February 4, 2023

365 Days of Grief Support

Explore

About Us

Grief & Healing

What We Do

Obituaries

Plan Ahead

Resources

Contact Info