Merilynn Starck, 81, Mandan, died September 21, 2020.

Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 am on Friday, September 25, 2020 at Christ the King Catholic Church, Mandan, with Fr. Fred Harvey celebrating.  Burial will follow at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery.  Cremation has taken place and the family will greet friends one hour prior to the service at the church on Friday.

Merilynn was born October 18, 1938 in Mandan to Virgil and Cecelia (Froelich) Gerding.  She attended St. Joseph’s grade school in Mandan and graduated from Mandan High School in 1956.  Merilynn worked as an operator at NW Bell Telephone before she married her high school sweetheart, Jack D. Starck on December 28, 1957, which was her parent’s 20th wedding anniversary.  Together they raised their family following Jack’s telephone career from Mandan to Bismarck (1960), to Dickinson (1962), to Bowman (1965), and back to Bismarck in 1967. 

Merilynn’s joy in life was her family and especially the little children.  Family and friends gathering began early in her married life with Christmas being especially important. She spent countless hours preparing, sewing matching outfits for her family, decorating, and cooking and baking to share with everyone. 

She was always involved in children’s education having served as coordinator for pre-school programs at Cathedral of the Holy Spirit for 12 years and CCD for 21 years.  During this time she was also a volunteer library aid at Roosevelt Elementary School.  Merilynn then worked for several years at NW Bell Telephone as an order writer in the business office, before becoming the librarian at Dorothy Moses Elementary, a position she enjoyed for over 21 years. 

Merilynn’s hobbies were sewing for herself and family, card making, stamping, and scrapbooking.  She enjoyed traveling, family, camping, and gathering for family and friend’s events.  In 2020 her health declined due to the loss of her social networking.  She missed her weekly lunches with the retired teachers of Dorothy Moses and occasional gatherings of the Cathedral retired teachers. 

She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend who left many cherished memories for those who loved her.  She will be missed by friends and family who remember her for who she was before her diagnosis. 

Left with those wonderful memories of her life well lived is her husband of 62 years, Jack Starck; their five children, Brenda Starck, Pamela (Tad) McGurk, Denise (Dwight) Gradin, Brad (Jocelynn) Starck, and Peggy Masset; 8 grandkids and 8 great grandkids; brother, John (Arlene) Gerding; and sisters, Sandy Olson and Debbie (Kelly) Heid.

Merilynn was preceded in death by her parents, Virgil (1974) and Cecelia (2003); son-in-law, Glen Masset (2020); and brother-in-law, Larry Olson (2016).

Memorials are preferred to the Alzheimers Association or the ND Veterans Cemetery.