Barry "Len" Leonard Lewis Starkes
July 24, 1953 to August 30, 2019
Obituary
Passed peacefully away on Friday August 30, 2019 with dignity and grace. He’s now gone over the rainbow bridge to be reunited with his special loyal friend Mr. Scruffy. Predeceased by his mother and father Neta (nee: Blackwood) and Percy Starkes.
Leaving to mourn his daughters Lisa King, son-in-law Michael, Tanya Hunt, son-in-law Carson, Donna Starkes and Denise Humber; grandchildren Hannah, Brooklyn, Rylen, and Cooper, Faith and Brianna, Christian, Nicholle, and Madison; great-grandchildren Keegan and Sophia, and special Blackwood family members. Special thanks to Dad’s dear friends Margie and Don Payne and Dave Porter for their endless love, support, and respect, his many friends and advocates at Empower, and Dad’s special friend Laine Woodfine who helped him with such understanding and empathy. Special thanks as well to all the nurses and staff from 2 North at the Miller Centre. Thank you to all who visited Dad for chats or to drop off goodies, magazines and books to keep him occupied throughout his journey. Dad also says a final 73 to all his amateur radio buddies. VO1KBN(SK).
Visitation will be held at Carnell’s Funeral Home, 329 Freshwater Road, on Wednesday, September 4 from 2-9 p.m. Funeral service will be held from the Carnell Memorial Chapel on Thursday, September 5 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, we kindly ask that donations to Empower: The Disability Resource Centre or The Autism Society of Newfoundland and Labrador be made in Dad’s memory.
Schedule
Visitations
2-9 p.m. on September 4, 2019
Carnell’s Funeral Home
329 Freshwater Road
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funeral
11:00am, Thursday September 5th
The Carnell Memorial Chapel
329 Freshwater Road
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Len, you were always a good friend to me, we both spent many hours hiking together all across the Avalon with many boil ups along the way, Scruffy was always there guiding the way… I will forever remember the time we had together Len, you will forever be missed.
. To Len’s family and friends, please accept my sincerest condolences.
Lisa and family, so sorry to hear of your Dad’s passing. I knew Len from meeting him on our cabin road in Tors Cove, a town and area he loved very much for it’s beauty and wildlife like myself…he will be missed…thinking of you and all his family xo
I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Barry (as I knew him). He passed away only 9 months after his brother Bruce. May your fond memories of your Dad be in your hearts forever. God Bless
Very sad to hear of Len’s passing. I shared a room with Len for a week at HSC when I was first admitted and diagnosed with cancer. Len was a saviour to us at a very rough time. He calmed us down many a times and could always put a positive spin on things. He could always see the good in things no matter what was happening and gave us hope when we needed it. We had quite a few chats about amateur radio, cars, and of course his dogs. Although my wife and I only knew Len for a short time, he made a long lasting impact on our lives. RIP my friend.
To the Family of Len Starkes:
Please accept my sincerest condolences.So sorry to hear of Len’s passing., He fought a good fight, but his body is now at rest.
Thinking of you during this most difficult time.
~ Cindy Churchill ( a friend from Empower)
Lisa, I am so sorry for your loss. Len was a friend to me when I worked at Empower, The Disability Resource Centre. The stories and endless laughs will always be my strongest memories of him. Len was so passionate with anything he did and so attentive to anyone he spoke to. A very self-less man. Boy did he love his 7UP! And how happy was he to bring some some raw chicken for the dogs, or a turkey leg!!! He always had the perspective of 3 wise soles all in one. For the 3+ years I’ve known Len, he would always say how proud he was of you, Lisa.
To the family and friends of Len ,
Saddened to learn the passing of Len , sending my sincere deepest condolences and sympathies to everyone who knew Len. For the last 11 yrs or so i gotten to know Len through Empower , it was only a few months ago i was sitting down talking to him at Empower. May God give his children and grandchildren the strength to get through this difficult time. Rest in Peace Len you’ll be forever missed by everyone. Amanda H. Volunteer at Empower, The Disability Resource Center
VERY SORRY TO HEAR OF OUR AMATEUR RADIO FRIEND LENS PASSING OUR PRAYERS AND THOUGHTS ARE WITH YOU CARL VOIUL
Saddened to read this today. Back in the 70’s Len was a devoted Mini fanatic, rebuilding engines in the basement of his mother’s house. I helped him drop one of those engines into his Mini, in the back yard, in the snow! lol He showed me how to install dual carbs and a header on my 76 Mini and gave me the confidence to tackle other repairs. Years later that translated into the confidence to tackle the rebuild of my current classic. I see that he remained loyal to his amateur radio group, in the 70’s Len had an antenna on his Mini that I swear could have sent signals into space! He was the kind of guy who was fearless about all things mechanical, if it was mechanical it interested him and he had to learn everything about it. To his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, I’m so sorry for your loss.
To the family of Len.
Id like to take a moment to look back on my memories of Len. I first met Len on amateur radio around December of 2015. We would chat for hours about everything under the sun, len had a vast knowledge about almost every subject we could ever talk about. When talking to len, he would go the extra mile to explain things in a way that made sense, if you didn’t understand him the first time.
In the summer if 2017, I would walk through 2-3 km of woods every night to get back home. Every night I would call len on the radio as I walked through the darkness, and every single time he answered. He would keep me company, and he would stay talking untill I would get home. He later told me that he would purposely wait for my call, in order to make sure I got home safe. Thats the type of down-to-earth person he was, and I will miss him for sure.
Lisa and family, we know how dear your dad was to you and we’re so sorry for your loss. Thinking of you and sending all our love your way.
Amanda, Norm, Ashton, Miranda and Noah
To the Family of the late Len Starkes So sorry to hear of Len’s passing. He will be missed in the radio world, just to talk with him or listen to him in conversation was purely entertaining, We had the opportunity to visit with him during his illness, he had a very positive outlook on things. Being was very smart and knowledgeable was a trait of his, he was quite inventive coming up with a winch system to lower and raise his tower, but the most catching of all was his motorized wheel barrel. In len’s own words (it is what it is) . 73 to VO1 KBN . From Barry Harris VO1 NC and Margaret Hopkins
So sorry to hear of Leonard’s passing. We had many radio contacts that were very enjoyable. Please accept our deepest condolences. 73’s Leonard from Vo1cal