Date Of Birth: March 2, 1923
Date Of Death: March 9, 2013

Two months after their 65th wedding anniversary, John and Pat Stark departed this life.
John died Saturday, March 9, a week after his 90th birthday. Pat followed him Monday, March 11.

A service will be held for both on Saturday, March 16, at 2 p.m. at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3421 North Park Avenue, Indianapolis. There will be a visitation at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Our Redeemer. Interment will be at Marion National Cemetery at a later date.

During their final months on this earth, they were together as much as possible, exchanging words of love frequently. They were a couple of great faith. They gave these gifts of love and faith to their children and those around them.

Dad was born March 2, 1923 in Gadacs, a German village in Hungary. His family moved to Milwaukee, Wis. when he was four. He grew up speaking German at home.

Milwaukee was Mom’s home town. She was born April 6, 1923 and attended Catholic schools. She was proud of her service as a drummer in Mercy High School’s Drum and Bugle Corps.

Dad enlisted in the Navy in World War II and served as a chief petty officer aboard the destroyer USS Blue, which saw action in the South Pacific at Iwo Jima, Okinawa and other battles. Dad’s role aboard ship was radio repair, and one of his most terrifying moments was getting the ship radio back in service in the middle of a typhoon that rocked the ship 180 degrees.

Mom worked as a secretary in a Milwaukee business. One of her co-workers was Dad’s older sister Katherine. Katherine suggested that her brother might enjoy getting letters from Pat, and their correspondence blossomed into romance before the war was over.

They were married in 1947 after Dad got out of the service. Dad studied electrical engineering at the University of Wisconsin and they lived in Madison during that time.

After Dad got his degree, he got a job with RCA and they moved to New Jersey in 1950. Dad and other engineers worked on the development of color television at RCA’s Cherry Hill facility. At least 10 inventions of Dad’s were patented by RCA.

Not long after John and Pat arrived in Woodbury, son Johnny arrived too. Daughter Nancy was born a few years later.

Our little home in Woodbury had one of the first color televisions in the country. Every Sunday, NBC would broadcast the only television show: Perry Como. Dad would fiddle with the picture trying to get the skin tones right while curious neighbors watched the latest modern marvel.

Also during his stint at RCA, Dad invented a “degaussing unit� that shielded cathode ray picture tubes from the earth’s magnetic field. That unit made it possible to move a television without calling a service man for a readjustment. The degaussing unit was standard equipment on televisions and computer monitors until LED technology replaced cathode ray screens just a few years ago.

In 1961, RCA transferred Dad to Indianapolis and our family moved into the house in Ivy Hills that would be their home for the rest of their lives.

Mother volunteered as a Red Cross driver in Indianapolis. Every Wednesday she would don her uniform and provide transportation for people in need, venturing alone into some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. Dad was active in Our Redeemer Lutheran Church and enjoyed singing in the choir.

Also during the early1960s, our family welcomed Ana Maria Medina into our home. Ana Maria was a Cuban refugee boarding at Ladywood High School. Her family had remained in Cuba. She visited us during time off from school and lived with us awhile after graduation. She became a second daughter and she and her Cuban friends enlivened and enriched our family.

Both John and Pat enjoyed travel. During the 1960s, our family took several long vacations out west in the family station wagon. We visited dozens of national parks and made it all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

Going back at least to her high school days, Mom had dreamed of visiting Europe, and together Mom and Dad realized that dream several times. Mom didn’t like the idea of flying, so their first trip was aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2 and the SS France. After Dad’s retirement, visits to Europe became a regular adventure. They visited many countries but Mom said she liked London best.

They also continued cross-country trips of the U.S. to visit their son and grandchildren in Washington state. Dad was particularly fond of Grand Teton National Park and they would often stop there on the way to Washington.

Survivors include son John Stark, daughter Nancy Stark, and grandchildren Julia, Dustin, Patricia, and Christina. They are also survived by Ana Maria (Medina) De La Cova, sister-in-law Virginia Tiry, and nieces, nephews, and cousins.