Margaret N Starkey

Margaret Elizabeth “Betty” Starkey passed away peacefully on July 27, 2023. She was 94. Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, to Gladys Mae and Henry Allen Norton, “Betty,” as she was always known, graduated from Lake Charles High School (1947) and Louisiana State University (1951). She later attended the Peabody School of Education at Vanderbilt University, where she received her Master’s degree in Education (1955).

In 1955, Betty was married to Frank Starkey, and the couple, following Frank’s assignment to McClellan Air Force Base, moved to Sacramento. Betty was soon teaching in Sacramento public schools, and after his honorable discharge from the Air Force, Frank joined her as an elementary school teacher. Before long, Betty was established at Madison School in North Highlands, with the couple and their two young children settling down in North Highlands and later Foothill Farms.

As a kindergarten teacher at Madison, Betty was easy to spot because of her flaming red hair and her notable height. (At five foot ten and half inches, she learned early to deflect snarky comments, telling her high school classmates, “I’m five foot two, without my legs.”) She was beloved by generations of children, who treasured her kind spirit and enthusiasm for learning. Betty—always ahead of her time—was especially interested in teaching science to children, and she formed a small business, Star Key Publications, that produced science kits which she shared with and sold to teachers attending workshops sponsored by Dominican University of California in San Rafael. A frequent contributor to Instructor (now Scholastic Teacher) magazine, she was honored as a runner-up for the 1980 California Teacher of the Year: a photo of her and State Superintendent Wilson Riles hung on her office wall for many years.

In retirement, Betty enjoyed socializing with family and friends, and playing bridge. At one point, she was a member of so many clubs that she played four times a week. In 2020, she and Frank, together as always, moved to Aegis Living Carmichael, where they spent their days being visited by loved ones, playing bingo, and holding hands.

In addition to Frank, her husband of 67 years, Betty is survived by her son David (Sandy), daughter Sharon Gonzales (John), granddaughters Elizabeth, Carly (Aaron), Celeste Costello and Miranda, grandson Stephen (Saya), and great-granddaughter, Riley Gonzalez.