Theresa Anne McNally Stark

With deep faith and fierce courage in her lengthy battle with cancer, Theresa Anne Stark passed away on December 26 surrounded by loving family members at her home in Bellevue, Washington. Theresa was born January 28, 1955 in Spokane, Washington and took great pride in her role as a beloved mother, grandmother, sister and aunt. She was the daughter of the late James and Patricia McNally and grew up in Ione, Washington where she graduated from Selkirk High School. Pivotal moments in her life were her marriage to Donald Stark on November 10, 1979 at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Ione and the birth of her sons, Michael and Patrick Stark. Theresa was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bellevue following years as an active parishioner at St, Jude’s Catholic Church in Redmond, Washington.

Theresa was preceded in death by her beloved parents, James and Patricia McNally, and by her father and mother-in-law, Zane and Bertha Stark. She is survived by her husband, Donald Stark, her sons Michael Stark (Kelsey) of Lake Stevens, Washington, Patrick Stark of Bellevue, Washington, her grandson, Jackson Stark, her brothers and sister, Jim (Chris) McNally, Mary (Tom) Lien, Tom (Cathy) McNally and her four nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her four cherished stepdaughters, Tammy Hancock, Lori Caperoon, Dani Boss and Sheri Byther.

Theresa lived a joyful life and was universally admired for the manner in which she quickly connected with others through her elegant touch and her innate sense of caring peace. This was evident in the many friendships she forged throughout life and in her close bonds with all family members. This permeated her professional life as well as she worked for over 34 years in financial services: North Coast Life Insurance, Safeco Insurance, Symetra Financial and AAA Washington. During this time, she served in multiple leadership and management roles and achieved numerous accredited designations. In 2015 she was the recipient of the AAA Washington Leadership award. AAA administrator and colleague, Don Beach, described Theresa’s ability to positively touch others: “Tess brought a lot of calm to a stormy place. She set an example by putting in all the hard work to learn her job and become a knowledgeable and steady leader. She listened patiently and tried to do all she could to help people get through the day. She became and excellent coach, influential leader and resource for the AAA team. She was a significant architect of our new training programs that have promoted improved customer interactions. It is difficult to imagine where we would be without her leadership and influence.”

Theresa had many loves in life. At the center were her husband, Don, and sons, Michael and Patrick. She was unusually close to her sister, Mary, and brothers, Jim and Tom, to her stepdaughters as well as to her Irish relatives, Milly McNally (aunt) and cousins, Padraig McNally, Maura McNally, Anne Garbett and John McNally. She enjoyed camping, frequent visits to her childhood home in Pend Oreille County, maintaining ties with long time friends and spending time with her family. She was also known to have a sense of adventure and independence. Her siblings recall the pride she took at age thirteen when she swam alone across a broad stretch of the Pend Oreille River and back in Ione one hot summer day. She risked the swift currents and undertows to complete this journey not knowing that the horrified, watchful eyes of neighbors quickly reported this to her mother and father. Predictably, there were consequences. However, this journey remained a personal symbol of what risk-taking and determination could accomplish in life even though she was wise enough not to repeat this particular one.

Theresa will be deeply missed by her family and friends as she leaves a lasting imprint of kindness, faith, strength and love in how she conducted her life.

A funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 31 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church (9460 NE 14th Street, Bellevue, Washington 98004). A reception will following immediately. Internment will occur at Holyrood Cemetery (205 Northeast 205th Street, Shoreline, Washington 98155) at 1:30pm. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the American Cancer Society on Theresa’s behalf would be much appreciated.

Sunset Hills Funeral Home, Bellevue, Washington is entrusted with funeral services.