Monte Claude Starley's Obituary
MONTE STARLEY OBITUARY
1940 ~ 2022
It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our dad Monte Claude Starley. He passed away on December 1st, 2022, at the age of 82. His passing came unexpectedly from heart failure after a fall the night before. He always said that he wanted to pass away at home in his sleep and that is exactly what he did. We hope our mom was there to welcome him with open arms.
He was born on July 14th, 1940, to Don and Hilda Cooper Starley. His father died in a car accident when he was 10 years old, which left a big void in his life, leaving his mother widowed with four young boys, brothers Ed, Roy, and Bill. His mother remarried Marion Warr and had two sons, Ron, and Ken. He always said he ended up with a great stepfather, and he taught him how to be a good husband and father.
He married the love of his life Joan Strebel on April 11th, 1964. He would often tell the story of how he proposed, sending his cousin Jim to go ask her if she would marry him, and Mom replied if he wanted to marry her, he would have to ask her himself, so he did, and she said yes. They then headed to the courthouse in Elko, Nevada. They swung by to pick up his mom to be a witness, and Jim went along to be his best man. They barely had enough money to get married and had to borrow money for gas to make it back home.
Our mom passed away on March 15th, 2013. Losing her was the hardest thing he ever had to endure. There was not a day that went by that he did not yearn to be with her. He missed her every day. They had three children Bruce (Sandra) Starley; Jody (Garth) Coffin; Mont "Thump" (Jenny) Starley and seven grandchildren; Austin, Hayden, Cameron, Rachel, Lacey, Lindsey, and step grandson Robert Hogge. A set of twin girls were lost at birth, and Dad often talked about how life would have been if they had survived. Our dad loved his family a great deal and told us daily how much he loved us. We were blessed to have him as our dad and our friend.
He was one of a kind person, husband, dad, grandpa, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend. It was said that 'you couldn't just meet Monte you had to experience him'. He never understood why so many people liked to be around him, but life was always fun and interesting when he was in the room.
Our dad was a hard worker and a good provider. He worked in the construction field for over 40 years. He was an avid sports fan, enjoyed Wendover trips with Geneva, and an almost daily breakfast with Ray at Jim’s Family Restaurant close to his house. He had an ability to keep people’s attention with his stories and questions and could strike up a conversation with anyone. To know him was to love him.
We would like to extend a special thank you to Bernie and Leanna Deherrera, his next-door neighbors for watching over him and my mom for years. We love you for this.
Thank you everybody for being part of his life and remembering him like we did, with a smile and a happy thought.
He will be missed.
Please share a story or a memory you had with Monte.
We will be having A 'Celebration of Life' sometime in the Spring and will reach out with details.
What’s your fondest memory of Monte?
What’s a lesson you learned from Monte?
Share a story where Monte's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Monte you’ll never forget.
How did Monte make you smile?