Peggy Starnes Spataro   


BOSSIER CITY, LA    Peggy Starnes Spataro, 72, passed into the hands of the Lord
on Wednesday, June 11, 2008 at Grace Home in Shreveport, LA.   A graveside
service was at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 14, 2008 at Central Cemetery, 5707 Hwy 29
S in Evening Shade, AR.   The family  received friends on Friday, June 13, 2008
from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home in Bossier City, LA.

Peggy was born August 5, 1935 in Hope, AR and moved to Bossier City where she
became a wonderful homemaker, loving mother and grandmother. She was a
member of St. Jude Catholic Church.     In 1955 she was a beauty queen and won
the Miss Shreveport pageant and went on to place 2nd in the Miss Louisiana
pageant.

Ms. Spataro is survived by daughters, Felicia and husband Tommy Hancock of
Benton, LA, Teri Watkins of Flower Mound, TX; sister, Sharon Starnes of Hope,
AR; grandsons, Trey Watkins of Flower Mound, Trace Hancock of Benton and
numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

The family extends their sincere gratitude to the employees and volunteers at the
Grace Home.
Under Peggy Starnes' senior class picture in the 1953 Yearbook this quote
reflected her personality:      "
If love is blind, who wants to see?"

As a student she was quite active in extra-curricular organizaitions such as these:  
Senior:       
English IV Club, Hi-Lights (school paper) staff

Junior:   Hi-Lights staff; Library Club, president, state delegate, state reporter;  
also junior play specialty and Talent Night Participant.

Sophomore:    Valentine Queen candidate, Talent Night participant
Cards can be sent to the family at:

Felicia and Tommy Hancock & family
214 Colonel Burt Blvd.
Benton, LA 71006
                                         Eulogy
In loving memory of our beautiful mother, grandmother, friend, and child of God.

Peggy was a feisty little thing, full of vitality!  She was outgoing and never met a
stranger. When the girls were young, and in grade school Peggy carpooled with Mrs.
Murray.  Lil would take the kids and Peggy would pick up after school. Many
mornings Peggy would make Lil wait on the girls until they finished their breakfast;
Peggy would never let the girls leave the house without eating breakfast.

Peggy loved to garden, sew, and play bridge.  She always had a beautiful garden
whether it was filled with fruits and vegetables, or flowers, Peggy had a green thumb
and could make a stick grow.  Whatever she grew in her garden, she would pick and
then cook for the family. Peggy was one heck of a cook. Everything she cooked was
delicious.   People would rave about her cream puffs, fried chicken, chocolate cake,
and that special spaghetti sauce.  That spaghetti sauce was an old family recipe
Peggy learned to make from her former mother-in-law.  To this day, no one can quite
make a pot of `gravy' like Peggy, although Felicia's comes pretty close.

Peggy was a wonderful seamstress, and made a lot of her clothes, and clothes for
Felicia and Teri.  Teri was too petite to fit into the big girl hip-huggers that were in
style at the time, so Peggy would make Teri's pants special, just for her.  Teri had a
pair in every color!  Whether it was an Easter dress, or any other special occasion,
Peggy could always whip up a beautiful creation in no time flat. Peggy and her
daughters always looked beautiful, and Peggy taught the girls how to be ladies.
Although the girls had a lot of `tom boy' in them, playing soft ball and riding
motorcycles, Peggy made sure they new how to act like ladies and carry themselves
with class. Peggy herself was one classy lady!

Peggy loved to play bridge, and would play with her girlfriends almost every
weekend. It was one of her simple pleasures.  It didn't cost a thing to put on a pot of
coffee and serve up a wonderful dessert for her friends.  They would have a blast
talking and laughing up a storm.  She really enjoyed getting together with all her
friends for bridge night.  It was Peggy's way to relax and unwind from a busy and
hectic week taking care of her family.

Peggy was a wonderful grandmother to her two beautiful grandsons.  She adored
those two boys and would bend over backwards to make them happy. Peggy did that
for everyone really, but nothing was too much for her grandsons.  One time Trey
was visiting his paternal grandparents in Shreveport when he caught a nasty flu bug.
Both of his grandparents became so ill, they had to getin bed and they called Peggy
to come pick Trey up.  They were both too sick to take care of him. Peggy picked
Trey up from their house and drove him home to Dallas.  She took care of Trey in
Dallas while Trey's mother worked.  Peggy never caught that nasty old bug. She was
always such a strong woman.

This is just one example of how she went out of her way to help people.  Teri has
been a single mother since Trey was 5 years old, and Peggy was always there for
her when she had to travel on business, or when Teri just needed a break.  Peggy
would drive to Dallas on a minutes notice to help Teri however she could.  She was
that kind of mother and grandmother, when you needed her she was there... .every
single time - no matter what.

Her youngest grandson, Trace, held a special place in her heart too.  Peggy lived
with Felicia, Tommy, and Trace in Van Buren, Arkansas for a while. She would pick
Trace up from school and have started dinner, so that when Felicia got home she
would have a head start on the evening, allowing her more time to be with her family.


Peggy was an inspiration to us all.  She had an enthusiasm that was unstoppable, an
energy that was encouraging and a love of life that was contagious.  May her spirit
live within us for all of the days of our lives.
My Fond Memories of Peggy Starnes Spataro
by Barbara T. Burke

Brookwood Second Grade 1942:   Peggy and I were in the same class with Miss
Porter as our teacher.  At recess when it rained we got to stay in and play jacks
with our teacher.   The red plaid dress Peggy & I  had alike still remains vivid in
my mind.  It had geometric stitching across the bodice that formed diamond shapes
of plaid in between the stitching.  

Oglesby Fifth Grade:   I can't conjure any real memories of later times in school
with Peggy, but  I assume we must  have been in the same class in 5th grade
because Nelda remembers being in Mrs. Burroughs' room with Peggy.  I had Mrs.
Burroughs in 5th grade, too.
Mostly what I remember that year was scalloped tomatoes and cabbage for lunch.

The next time I can vividly remember Peggy was at our 2003 50th reunnion.  
Peggy explained that we needed to tell her who we were as her memory was
failing.  She was having a really good time visiting with classmates and stayed in
the motel near the Western Sizzlin' where most of the class stayed.  She still had a
bubbling personality amid her struggles with her memory, and am so glad I got to
see her then.  It was my first time  to see Peggy since 10th grade in high school.  I
always watched for a light in her house on Hwy. 29 when we passed by going
someplace.  Now I watch for Evening Shade cemetery along that same route.  
Someday I will stop.

Later I somehow learned that Peggy was living in this area so I phoned her former
husband Sammy Spataro for information, and found out she was in a nursing home
in Bossier City, LA . We live in Benton just north of Bossier City.   When I first
tried to visit her in Pilgrim Manor Nursing Home, Peggy was in the hospital.   Later
I checked again at the nursing home and she was there!  That was the last time I
saw Peggy.   You may remember that I wrote a story about that visit as I was so
touched by her response to me after none during the short visit.  I feel sure she
didn't know nor remember me, but I mentioned Hope High School and having been
in her class at Hope and she seemed to be listening and perhaps grasping the word
"Hope."  When I got ready to leave I hugged her and asked if she wanted me to
come back.  That was the only time she spoke, "Yes, oh yes!"  That's all it took
me to think maybe somehow I got through to her that old friends care so I planned
to return but, on a couple of occasions, found she had moved to a  hospital; then a
different place.  The nursing home wasn't able to tell me exactly where.

Peggy was never able to return to the nursing home.  I attended the "visitation"
here at the funeral home and expressed to her daughters that our class thought so
much of Peggy and that all had been concerned and were  inquiring about her
during her hospitalization.  I also met her two young, handsome grandsons who
were there with their mothers in the receiving line.  They all had the same shining,
smiling personality that I recall Peggy's having.

I have always remembered Peggy's birthday:  August 5.  Many of my years I have
thought about Peggy on that date, the plaid dresses, Miss Porter, and the jacks.

Barbara Taylor Burke
Benton, LA
Sept. 14, 2008
April 18,  2008

Memories by Barbara Taylor Burke:


Friends, I must share my morning with you because I don't know anyone else who
might understand.

Today while in the nursing home where I knew one of our classmates resided, I
decided it was time to visit  that classmate whom I was very good friends with in
second grade.  I had tried one other time a long time ago and she was in the hospital
at that time.

Our red plaid dresses that were alike sparked others' attention if we wore them on
the same day to Brookwood.  Most of my dresses were homemade but this one had
come from Talbot's where my dad worked in the men's department.  The fact we
were both blonde and small and loved to play jacks with the teacher was another
commonality.

One of the reasons I was so shy about visiting this classmate is that I talked to her
at the 50th reunion in 2003 and she told me she had a memory problem and she had
no recollection of ever having known me.  It just didn't seem possible as we went to
school second through tenth grade together, but yes, it's the time of our lives where
it is very possible.

So today I was feeling especially courageous as I thought, "I feel good and the
doctor is working on my problem and I should leave it to him and God and go see
if I could find something constructive to do with my time."  (I'm not that optimistic
some days, I must admit)   I was told she was down a certain hall, sitting in a chair
and watching TV.  The crowd was small so I picked out who I thought the
classmate was but confirmed with an aid before saying, "Hi, Peggy, I'm your
classmate from Hope, AR."  Her eyes brightened and I saw a flicker of
rememberance in her eyes at the Hope word.   

Then I thought, what do I say now?  I know her understanding is limited...gee, I
hadn't even thought about it so I began rambling telling her about having been in
school with her and asked did "Hope, Arkansas" mean anything to her.  She smiled,
but I couldn't tell for sure...As I had rambled enough I began to tell  her I just
dropped by to tell her I loved her and put my arm around her to give her a
one-handed hug.  As I did my cheek brushed her lips and smack my feeling for her
had been returned.

Then I said  "Would you like me to come back?"  She immediately with a smile
said, "Oh, yes, OH YES!"  So I will.

Barbara TAYLOR BURKE