Patricia Stark

Early in the morning on November 6, 2018, Patricia "Tricia" Stark passed away peacefully on her own terms. ​Born on January 18th, 1958 in Guthrie Center, IA, she was the daughter of the late Nyle Wasson and Marjorie (Bancroft) Wasson. Tricia grew up as the sixth of ten siblings on her family farm in Linden, Iowa, where she worked at the library.  She also would help on the farm, babysit, and wait tables. In 1976, she graduated from Panora-Linden High School, where she sang chorus.​Tricia became a certified Childbirth Educator in 1985 and helped other women prepare to give birth.  She received her Associate’s in Arts from Anoka Ramsey Community College in 1998, her certification as a Nursing Assistant in 2006, and completed the Medical Coding and Billing program at Penn Foster Career School in 2010. ​Tricia was very proud of her children and family, and even in her earlier years, while she raised her own children as a stay-at-home mother, she extended her love to care for 24 foster babies over four years and worked in the infant room of the Family Resource Center in Blaine. She was most excited of all to become a grandmother to her 11 grandchildren and considered herself blessed to be a regular caregiver to her granddaughters Eliana, Ariella, and Evelina. She said, “one of the best quotes I've heard was from Maya Angelou. She said, ‘do your eyes light up when your child enters the room?’ I love it. Every child needs to know how special they really are. My grandchildren will always know Grandma is so happy to see them!!! I am blessed. Life is good.” Even in her darkest of days, her grandchildren were always her light.​Tricia loved holidays, especially Valentine's Day (hearts were her favorite), and family get-togethers, particularly when they included game nights or karaoke. By the end of a typical karaoke night, she would have made friends with everyone at the bar.  She loved attending plays, concerts, movies, art events, and watching her grandchildren perform at their recitals and simply play joyfully in front of her. She always revelled in shared experiences with others who enjoyed these same activities with her, whether it be with her loved ones, acquaintances, or even complete strangers.​She owned every book written by Stephen King, and she was excited to have recently had the opportunity to stop by and view the outside of Stephen King’s home in Maine while on a family road trip. Aside from books, Tricia owned many collections over the years that were special to her, including angels/cherubs, fairies, babies, hearts, baskets, M&M’s, and most of all, a smorgasbord of bold, beautiful, funky and dangly jewelry that fit her colorful personality! Tricia was a free-spirited, self-proclaimed “hippie with a rock and roll heart and never-ending hope for world peace." She had her own incredibly unique lens through which she saw the world, and the way in which she interpreted life was seen by her expression through different artforms. She was an avid cross-stitcher, photographer, sidewalk-chalker, painter, singer, dancer (including belly dancing!), flower gardener/arranger, and she even dabbled in creating stained glass.​Tricia was an advocate for so many causes that were near and dear to her heart. She was a women’s empowerment force for good. She raised awareness for those suffering from various physical and mental illnesses. She was dedicated to getting the word out about her grandson Ethan’s rare Batten Disease. She supported and reached out to others facing struggles or hardships in their lives, and you could always count on her to raise her voice to root for the underdog. In May of 2017, Tricia was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive stage 4 Mantle Cell Lymphoma. With the support of her family and friends, and a dose of her own gumption, Tricia rallied and fought back, receiving and maintaining a status of “no evidence of disease” from September of 2017 on. During her cancer treatment, even through all of the ups and downs of chemo, she was able to keep a positive attitude and continue to be a shining light. And it is this shining light that we will deeply miss most.​Tricia is survived by her mother, Marjorie Wasson; six of her siblings: her twin Pam (Tom) Hotle, Kathy (Tim) Sedrel, Vicki (Dick) Keast, John (Cheryl) Wasson, Don (Sue) Wasson, and Ron (Rita) Wasson; her ex-husbands, Lon Davies and Bryan Stark; her children, Jessica Davies-Lopez, Eli (Kristine) Davies, Caleb (Ketty) Davies, and Josh Davies; and her grandchildren, Natalie, Max, and Zachary Blalock-Davies, Eliana, Ariella, and Evelina Lopez, Mason and Maya Davies, Manuel Alarcon, and Keira and Kai Davies. Tricia was preceded in death by her father, Nyle Wasson; her brothers, Roger and Lester Wasson; her sister, Connie Beard; and her grandson,  Ethan Davies.​Memorial service 3:00 PM Saturday, November 17 at MUELLER-BIES FUNERAL HOME-LINO LAKES, 7050 Lake Drive (County Highway 23)Visitation from 2-3 PM Saturday. ​"We encourage you to wear her favorite color, purple."Memorials preferred.​