Aug. 31, 1917 ~ Nov. 26, 2020
After a long and fulfilling life, Ethel Starbuck died at the age of 103 at the Walbridge Wing in Meeker on Nov. 26, 2020.
Ethel was born on Aug. 31, 1917, to Arthur Mark Stone and Ada Alice Bell Stone. When Arthur died of tuberculosis five years later, Ada moved to Colorado with Ethel and Ethel’s older brother and sister. The family lived in Briggsdale, Agate, and other locations in Eastern Colorado while Ada taught school and completed Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
They moved to Denver, where Ethel attended Morey Junior High School. At the age of 16, she graduated as class valedictorian from West High School in Denver. At the age of 19, she received her Bachelor’s degree from the Colorado State College of Education (now the University of Northern Colorado).
Ethel took a teaching position in Hayden, Colorado, where she met Paul Starbuck. In 1941 they entered a marriage that lasted until his death in 1994, all of that time in Meeker. Ethel was a homemaker and substitute teacher in Meeker and at the Rio Blanco School. In 1953 Ethel became a full-time teacher at Meeker High School, a position she kept until her retirement in 1983.
Ethel was respected by the hundreds of students in her classes, the athletes she got to know while following Paul’s football and wrestling teams, and indeed all students who attended Meeker High School. She received numerous awards both for her teaching and for her contributions to public education, especially vocational education. She was active in the United Methodist Church and in P.E.O.
Ethel was an accomplished amateur photographer, winning numerous prizes in statewide contests. Although encouraged by many to turn professional, she declined because that might take some of the joy out of her hobby. She did donate photos. Several are hanging in various offices around town; perhaps the best known is her photo of Trappers Lake.
Ethel also enjoyed horseback riding, dancing, and fishing. She consistently caught more fish than the family members who accompanied her. But, in typical Ethel fashion, she never bragged about her prowess.
Ethel was preceded in death by her mother (Ada Bell Stone, 1877-1959 and father Arthur Mark Stone (1872-1922), her sister Linnie Alice Stone (1904-1936), her brother Sheldon Wallace Stone (1915-1940), her husband Paul Starbuck (1911-1994), her grandson Scott Starbuck (1971-1985), and her Life Companion of 20 years, Joe Sullivan (1919-2017). She is survived by her daughter Paula Armstrong (Bob) and her son Gene Starbuck (LaTisha) of Grand Junction; by three grandchildren and four step-grandchildren; and by six great-grandchildren and nine step-great-grandchildren.
There will be a graveside service for family only. A celebration of her life will be held at a future date. Her family asks that, in lieu of flowers, mourners could contribute to the Walbridge Wing Activities Fund at Pioneers Medical Center, Meeker, or to a charity of their choice that they think would best honor her life.
