Frank H. Starkey Jr.

Frank H. Starkey, Jr., passed away peacefully on January 27, 2024, six months to the day after the death of his beloved wife, Betty. Frank was 92. Born in Houston, Texas, to Mary Irene and Frank Hubert Starkey, “Frank Junior,” as his mother always called him, graduated from Lake Charles High School in 1949. He attended the University of Houston for several years before joining the United States Air Force in 1952. Stationed in Alaska and later in the Azores as a radio frequency transmission systems specialist, Frank was always proud of his time spent in the Service.

In 1955, Frank married Betty, and the couple, following Frank’s assignment to McClellan Air Force Base, moved to Sacramento. After his honorable discharge from the Air Force in 1956, Frank joined Betty as an elementary school teacher, soon establishing himself at Frontier School in Foothill Farms. The couple and their two young children settled in North Highlands and later moved to Foothill Farms.

Frank taught sixth grade at Frontier, where he was known as a strict teacher who couldn’t help but crack a smile at the shenanigans of his students. A lifelong fan of the Cowboys and Raiders, he encouraged his young charges to play sports. He was essential in the creation of an annual trip to Dillon Beach, where the entire Frontier sixth grade camped out, explored the tide pools, and raced across the sand dunes on snow saucers pulled by parachutes, an experience that few students ever forgot.

Frank retired from teaching at age 57, but, in some respects, his true passion was just beginning. A lifelong duck, dove and pheasant hunter known for the astonishing accuracy of his shots, he was also a devoted fisherman, and he soon established a fish farm business where he raised and sold largemouth bass, bluegill, and red ear sunfish. In his trusty pickup truck, with a large aerated tank bolted to its bed, he crisscrossed Northern California, catching fish in one pond and transporting them to another, making countless friends and collecting plenty of tall tales along the way.

Frank’s other passion was gardening. In the spring and summer, his small backyard overflowed with vegetables. He grew beans, peas, potatoes, bell peppers, onions and cauliflower, to name a few, but his specialty was tomatoes, which grew in such abundance that he often had trouble giving them away.

In 2020, Frank and Betty, together as always, moved to Aegis Living Carmichael, where they spent their days visiting with family, playing bingo, and holding hands. After Betty’s death in July 2023, Frank’s loneliness was partially relieved by daily visits with or phone calls from his daughter Sharon, whose patience, love and support was unflagging, as well as daily visits from his granddaughter, Celeste and her partner Anthony, with frequent visits from great-granddaughter Riley.

Frank is survived by his son David (Sandy), daughter Sharon Gonzales (John), granddaughters Elizabeth, Carly (Aaron), Celeste Costello (Anthony Gonzalez), and Miranda, grandson Stephen (Saya Miyake), and great-granddaughter, Riley Gonzalez.