Rita M. Starkey

Rita was born on January 1, 1937 in Ravenna, Ohio to Joseph and Helen (Knapp) Kline the seventh born of thirteen children. Rita met Robert Lee Starkey (deceased) on a blind date and it was love at first sight. They married in February 1956 and moved to Houston, Texas in 1972 with their four children, Cynthia Lynn, Robert Hoy (deceased), Jeffrey Lee, and Michael Joseph. Rita loved her job at Community National Bank where she worked for nearly 25 years.

Rita had a passion for playing bingo with her lifelong friends, attending regular services at Holy Ghost Catholic Church for nearly 50 years, playing cards, and bowling. She enjoyed baking homemade fudge, and nut rolls, doing word puzzles, and getting into political arguments. Rita often helped care for her grandkids, attended all their sporting events, and shared that dedication to her family with her friends too.

She was also a firm believer in old wives tales and superstitions, her most held belief was that if your bag was on the floor, it would always be empty. Rita was known to all who met her for her quick wit, roaring sense of humor, and very feisty personality.

Rita was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Lee, son, Robert Hoy, and 12 of her siblings. Rita was the beloved mother of Cynthia, Michael and Amy, and Jeffrey, devoted grandmother (Mema) to Marcus, Jennifer and Mark Loga, Michael, and Joshua, and adored great-grandmother (Gigi) to McKenzie and Juliet (Loga).

Visitation will be from 4:00PM to 8PM on Monday, January 28, 2019 at the Advantage Funeral Home, 7010 Chetwood Drive, Houston with a Rosary Service to begin at 7:00PM.

A Funeral Mass will take place at Holy Ghost Catholic Church, 6921 Chetwood Drive, Houston on Tuesday, January 29, 2019 at 10:00AM with a reception and celebration of life to follow.

The family would like to extend a most grateful thank you the Houston Hospice staff for their care and compassion for Rita. In lieu of flowers, please donate in Rita’s memory to Houston Hospice or the American Cancer Society.