James Rolla Stark, a 69-year-old resident of Mercer, died on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 at the Boone County Hospital in Columbia.
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James Rolla Stark, a 69-year-old resident of Mercer, died on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 at the Boone County Hospital in Columbia.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 3, 2004 at the Greenlee-Middleton Funeral Chapel in Lineville, IA. Rev. Jack Stark will officiate. Burial will be in the Girdner Cemetery, located north of Mercer.
Open visitation and viewing is under way at the funeral home, where a family visitation will be held from 7 to 8 o?clock tonight (Friday, April 2, 2004).
Mr. Stark was born on March 10, 1935 in Mercer, the son of Orville ?Speck? and Olive Oleta Wells Stark. He was raised in Mercer County and was a 1953 graduate of Mercer High School.
On June 23, 1955 he was united in marriage to Nancy Lee Goddard, who survives him of the home.
Mr. Stark worked as a heavy equipment operator, constructing highways, interstates, dams and building sites in Missouri, Iowa and Kansas. He enjoyed traveling, camping, fishing, genealogy, helping others and taking his grandchildren for rides in his award-winning ugly truck, ?Spinny?.
He was a charter member and elder of the Lineville-Mercer Christian Church of Mercer and was past president and current secretary of the Mercer Lions Club. He was also a 45-year member of the IUOE Union, Local #101 of St. Joseph.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Stark is survived by two sons, Rev. Jack Stark and his wife, Denise, of South Lineville, and Dan Stark and his wife, Brenda, of Milan; a daughter-in-law, Gay Lynn Stark of Mercer; nine grandchildren, James, Paul, Tim, Joshua, Esther, Sarah and Moriah Stark, Tisha Puckett and her husband, John; and Crystal Bush and her husband, Ben; three great-grandchildren, Haylea Little, Corben and Cayden Bush; three brothers, Everett Stark and his wife, Marlene, Junior Stark and his wife, Thelma, all of Mercer, and Jerry Stark and his wife, Barb of Lineville, IA; four sisters, Ocie Martin and her husband, Jimmie of Davenport, IA, Velma Davis of Ames, IA, Lena Faye Kemper and her husband, Marvin of Lucas, IA, and Janice Carter of Burlington, IA; two sisters-in-law, Nadine Stark of Mercer and Cindi Goddard of Chincoteague Island, VA; his mother-in-law, Carleta Goddard of Princeton; and other relatives and friends.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by one son, Dr. James David Stark; three brothers, Ordie, Everett Junior and Wendell Stark; and by one sister, Doris Kersey.
The family has suggested memorial contributions to the Lineville-Mercer Christian Church. Contributions may be mailed to: Lineville-Mercer Christian Church, Mercer, MO 64661.