Obituary of Erin Stark
Erin Stark was born on September 16, 1959, and died after a long illness on December 21, 2022, the winter solstice. Erin is survived by a sister, Shelley Stark, and brother-in-law, Drake Chamberlin, of Amesville, Ohio, a brother, Kevin Stark, of Denver, Colorado, a brother, Erik Stark, sister-in-law, Michele Stark, and niece, Eva Stark, of Denver, Colorado, and a Goddaughter, Asha Lameyer, of Stillwater, Minnesota. She is also survived by a large group of friends and chosen family who loved her deeply, many of whom cared for her during her long illness. Erin attended college at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado, where she earned a BA in Anthropology. She lived and worked in Denver throughout her adult life, serving those in need and helping to fund various victim services and other non-profit organizations through grant writing and fund-raising activities. She worked at Denver’s Blue Bench formerly the Rape Assistance and Awareness Program (RAAP), Denver Victim Services, the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Dental Lifeline Network. In mid-life, Erin studied the Path of Ceremonial Arts at Star House in Boulder, Colorado and became a Priestess of Ceremonial Arts. She cared for her Mother, Patricia Motherway, in her own home for years before she needed more care than Erin could provide. She also spent time with her Father, Kenneth Stark, in Arizona in his declining years.
Erin was a true eccentric, a bit of an iconoclast and an artist. Feminist values and serving others were important to her. She loved beauty: art, music, design, architecture, saturated color, sunsets, quirky movies and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She lived outside of norms, being much more likely to watch the moon rise, or set, than to see the sun rise. She was often fully engaged in her present experience, so time limits and schedules were things she sometimes ignored. She was deeply generous, sharing what she had with friends when they needed it and sometimes supporting them for long periods of time. She loved nature and the outdoors, whether gazing at the moon, hiking through Colorado’s mountains or walking in the rain, she was always happy outside and moving. She loved animals and lived with her delightful and feisty black cat, Jet, for 17 years. Spicy food and good wine were part of her daily life. She deeply valued friendships, shared experiences, and celebrations, whether formal events or wild times with friends, and quiet moments of joy. She could be passionate, fierce, and tender by turns and always valued her friendships. She loved travel, whether a road trip to northern New Mexico with friends, visiting her mother in San Francisco, her Father in Arizona, friends in Chicago, or to Ireland, Japan, Istanbul, or Paris, she craved new experiences and sharing them with others. She delighted and was at her finest when in intentional community experiences such as Burning Man in which she flourished and shined with her own creativity amongst other artists sharing space and magic in Black Rock Desert, Nevada.
Although she struggled with her health mightily the last years of her life, she maintained her belief in the power of intention and the ability to heal to the end. She left this earth reaching for the stars. She is flying with the fairies now, having escaped the bonds of her failing body. Goddess speed, Erin. We send you on your way with so much love.
A Celebration of Erin’s Life will be held on January 21, 2023, at Logan Street Restaurant, 400 E 7th Ave in Denver from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. A brief ceremony and opportunity for people to share about Erin will begin at 2:30 pm
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Erin’s honor to the Blue Bench (formerly RAAP), The Colorado Coalition against Sexual Assault, Dental Lifeline Network, or Maxfund Animal Adoption Center.
