Margaret Starkey

Life long Alaskan Margaret M Starkey passed away on October 11, 2012 at Providence Hospital. She was born in Cordova, AK to Edwina and Ole Alstead. Raised primarily in her youth by her grandparents Samuel and Gertrude Clemence. She helped by working in the family owned laundry business in Cordova and then in her early teens moved with her mother Edwina and step father Bill Irwin to various locations including Long Lake on the Copper River Railroad between Cordova and Kennicott then to Fairbanks and Anchorage. In the early 40's she worked at Elmendorf recovering war planes where she met her first husband Sig Krogstad. They were married for 16 years. She spent several summers working on the family owned floating fishing cannery in Cordova and Eshamy Bay operated by her uncle Bill Clemence and family. She worked at the National Bank of Alaska for many years as head teller at the downtown branch and then later in her favorite position as manager of the Ft. Richardson branch. She was a member and past president of the Anchorage Pioneers Aux 4, she was also a member of the AIB and other professional banking societies. She retired in 1972 after meeting her second husband Ted Starkey and moving to Kenai for a short period of time then to Rocky Lake where she and Ted built a home. Ted passed suddenly in 1983. She then worked part time at the Big Lake Liquor Store for many years. In 1996 she tired of stacking and carrying wood all winter and decided to move to Anchorage where all she had to do was turn up the thermostat. She will be greatly missed by all of us. She was generous, unfaltering dependable, fiercely independent and once focused on a task unrelenting. Her last project was to see the name of her late step son Jerome Krogstad and her late uncle Jack Clemence's names on the Veterans Wall of Honor in Wasilla. It took several years and only a couple of months ago she was able to see that dream come true. She is survived by her son Sam Krogstad and his wife Becky of Anchorage; granddaughter and great granddaughter Kris and Kailyn Kortie of Anchorage; her sister Joyce Parmley and her niece Diana Rogers and Michelle of Arizona. At her request no services will held. Her ashes will be spread at Rocky Lake, her favorite place. The family would like to thank her primary physician Dr. Catherine Schumacher and her assistant Lynn who for years have tirelessly confronted her physical issues one problem at a time. Dr Stanley Watkins her heart physician, Dr. Carol LaRose who fought to save her foot, Dr Stefano Emili and Christine Walrath who fought to keep her off of dialysis and finally Dr. Pomerantz in the ER and Dr. Julian Rojas and Anna Turner in ACCU who helped all of us in her final moments by showing genuine care and compassion for us by her bedside and allowing her to pass peacefully.