Len Oy Jeu Starnes (Lina Jeu Starnes) was born in Arkansas City, Arkansas on January 8, 1922. She was the first of seven children born to Lum Shee Jeu, age 32 and Jim Buck Jeu, age 44. She was the daughter of a Merchant and grew up to become Valedictorian of her graduating High School Class.
She married and in 1942, June 3rd had her first born, Delores Ann. In 1945, December 24, Len Oy (Lynn) was born. About 1947, she moved to Houston to be with her family.
Lina, a name bestowed upon her by her High School teacher, moved with Ann and Lynn to Houston to join the Jeu family who had settled there. She went to work at the first grocery store her dad owned in Houston, Butera Super Mkt. on Peden Street. A few years later she moved to Yale Street when her father left the first store to Dott’s family to run and started the 2nd, Goodway Food Mkt. with a dream of leaving his sons a chain of stores. Lina worked in the store on Peden and then the store on Yale Street.
It was during this time that she became active in the Chinese Baptist Mission, started in downtown Houston by First Baptist Church. By the time the Mission moved to its own facilities, April 30, 1950, Lina had become so active that she succeeded George Gee as the 2nd Superintendent of Chinese Sunday School.
Later, her life took her to live in Nevada and to California where she started her career with Pacific Bell Telephone in San Jose. She ended her career at Southwestern Bell in Houston after 20 years of service to the Bell companies, retiring to spend time helping her family with her grandchildren so they could pursue their own careers.
In her spare time, she loved to bowl. She participated in over 35 National bowling tournaments. When Ann and Lynn came of age, they joined her on many trips and always had a great “family” of bowlers to complete the women’s teams. We so looked forward to and enjoyed these trips.
Since 2007 Lina began a decline that would last for the next 10 years. She lived with Ann for a time and then when Ann became ill, moved to the Dallas area to be with Lynn and remained until the time of her death.
She is proceeded in death by her husband, Kenneth Wesley (Stormy) Starnes, her daughter Delores Ann Adams, by sisters, Len Haye Lee, Geu Lynn Eng and brother Dott B. Jeu. She leaves behind her sister and brother-in –law, Ho and George Eng, brother and sister-in-law, Onne and Mary Jeu, and brother, Sing B. Jeu; grandsons Robert Wukasch, wife Angela and daughter, Jolie. Grandsons John Wukasch, Jr. and Scott Wukasch and his wife Cari; Daughter and son-in-law Lynn and Brian McGinley, grandsons, Matt Delaney and Andrew Delaney; Andrew’s daughter, Ana Taylor; and a host of other nephews, nieces, great grand children, and friends.
“Weeping may spend the night, but Joy Cometh in the Morning”
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18