Carol Lynn Jukes Starks

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the fourth child of Albert and Sibyl Jukes, Carol was a loving person with a magnetic spirit that afforded her countless friendships, some of which spanned more than 60 years.

Anyone that had the pleasure of meeting Carol knew she had the amazing ability to organize, motivate, and manage. No matter the situation or circumstance you could count on Carol to have it all planned out. She would hand you your assignment with a stern, loving, urgency.

Her childhood was blessed with family adventures, and she often told the story of how her family traveled east to pick up a brand new car right from the GM factory in Cleveland, Ohio. Her childhood years were marked by days outside, splashing in the Jordan River and playing baseball with neighborhood children in Poplar Grove. At Jordan Junior High she met a group of girls that would become her lifelong friends. Her father was a Mason and Carol participated in Job’s Daughters when she was young, where she traveled to the World’s Fair in Seattle to see the Space Needle.

Carol was a lifelong resident of Salt Lake City and a graduate of West High School. Some of her happiest memories were from the glory days of high school where she sang in the choir and cheered for her team in the pep club. She prided herself on attending all the football games and school dances with her friends. As she got older, her family would take her on drives through her old haunts and she would point out the window and say, “That’s my high school. I had so much fun there.”

When she was fifteen she met the man who would become her husband of 58 years, Othar Wayne Starks. They married on October 14, 1963. In letters to her family, she shared fond memories from the early years of her marriage, describing the homes they lived in and the friendships they made before settling down on Valley Home Avenue in West Valley City in 1969. It was in this home Carol and Wayne began their family. With their first child in 1976, Tracy Lynn followed Brian David in 1981. Carol was a devoted mother and supported her children’s endeavors, taking her daughter to gymnastics and Girl Scouts, watching her son’s basketball games, and helping him advance to an Eagle Scout. As a family, they were active members of Granger Community Christian Church in West Valley City.

One of Carol’s greatest joys was found in motherhood and spending time with her family. She loved to travel with them, organizing their adventures, seeing new places, visiting Disneyland, and cheering at University of Utah Utes games. Carol was an avid fan of the University of Utah Utes and the Utah Jazz. You could often find her taking her kids to Jazz games and sporting a Utes sweater. When her children were grown, Carol would arrange family vacations to University of Utah football away games. She loved the trips they made to Indiana, Arizona, Oregon, California, and Washington, to see and support their team. You could count on Carol to have an itinerary printed and ready to go.

Carol found joy and happiness going out to eat with friends and family. She loved to try new places, and had a few favorite regular spots where she would meet with friends from over the years with Red Hats, birthdays, and reunions; Carol loved a reason to get together for a meal out. Carol’s most beloved and cherished meal was gathering for Sunday dinner with her family. A dinner she always looked forward to and had up until her final days.

Carol made some of her closest friendships in her professional life. She began working from a young age at a movie theatre in downtown Salt Lake, worked at Tracy Collins Bank and Gate City Steel before starting her career with the State of Utah in 1980. She worked in Human Resources for the state until she retired in 2011.

In her retirement, she often volunteered at her church’s food pantry and practiced reading with children at Robert Frost Elementary. She was a loving person, who had a passion for helping those in need.

After a long battle with declining health, Carol passed through heaven’s gates and was reunited with her parents and siblings. We will miss her and remember the way she lived her life - with love, kindness, and generosity.

She is survived by her husband, Othar Wayne of 58 years, her two children Tracy and Brian (Hannah), and a large extended family.

She is preceded in death by her mother and father, Bert and Sibyl Jukes, and her siblings Rick, Shirley, and Bud.

Funeral services will be held Tuesday, April 12 at 10:00 AM at Wasatch Lawn Memorial 3401 South Highland Dr. Millcreek, 84106. Friends may visit with the family for a viewing Monday, April 11 from 6:00-8:00 PM and one hour prior to the service.

Interment will be at Mount Olivet 1342 East 500 South SLC 84102. In lieu of flowers, a donation is requested to Habitat for Humanity of Salt Lake. https://habitatsaltlake.charityproud.org/Donate

Online service: https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/authorise.php?k=1649710879177887