The Life of Bascomb Dennis Starling
Funeral services will be held on Monday, August 30, 2010, at a 10 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial in La Chapelle de Martin & Castille for Bascomb Dennis Starling, 71, who passed away peacefully on August 24, 2010, from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease). Father Gary Schexnayder of St. Michaels Catholic Church in Crowley will be the Celebrant of the funeral Mass and services. He will be interned with military honors at Holy Mary Mother of God Cemetery in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Born on February 15, 1939, in Troy, Alabama, Dennis was a dedicated family man, avid sportsman, and community servant. He graduated from Hillsborough High School in Tampa, Florida, and the University of Southwestern Louisiana with a degree in business. Dennis was an Eagle Scout and a proud veteran, serving in the United States Air Force from 1956 to 1962. He was actively involved in Boy Scouts as an assistant scoutmaster, scoutmaster, and explorer advisor, in Biloxi, Mississippi, and later in the Evangeline Area Council in Lafayette, Louisiana. He was recognized on several occasions for his unwavering, selfless dedication to scouting.
Dennis was a licensed pilot, ham radio operator, and particularly enjoyed snow skiing, hunting, and spending summers with friends and family at his camp on False River. He served as a partner at Sound & Communication Systems, Inc., the President and CEO of Starling Enterprises, LLC, and was well known in the telecommunications and oil and gas industry. He was an active member of the Kiwanis Club of Lafayette, Past President and life member of the Lafayette Optimist Club, and lifetime member of the Radio Club of America.
Dennis lived in Lafayette for the majority of his life, attended St. Edmond’s Church, and was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and a friend to all who knew him.
He is survived by his loving wife of 46 years, Gloria Breaux Starling; his sons, Christopher Shawn Starling and wife Julie Frederick Starling of Maurice, Louisiana; and Michael Scott Starling and wife Lauren Sabo Starling, of Lafayette, Louisiana; his daughter, Jennifer Starling Burnside and husband, Tom Jeffrey Burnside of Arlington, Virginia; granddaughter, Maci Alyse Lopez, of Maurice, Louisiana; and three grandsons, Jackson Everett Burnside, Houston Connally Burnside, and Hayden Walker Burnside, all of Arlington, Virginia.
He was preceded in death by his father, William Toodledink Starling, and his mother, Emma Faust Starling, both of Troy, Alabama; and one brother, Leon Berwyn Starling of Church Point, Louisiana.
Visitation will be observed in Martin & Castille’s DOWNTOWN location on St. Landry Street on Sunday, August 29, 2010, from 12:00 to 8:00 p.m. and on Monday, August 30, 2010, from 8:00 a.m. until the time of the funeral service. A rosary will be prayed in La Chapelle de Martin & Castille at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 29, 2010.
Pallbearers will be his sons Christopher and Michael Starling; son-in-law, Tom Jeffrey Burnside; lifelong friend and business partner, Michael Baumbach; family friend, Phillip Brattin; and close friend and counselor, G. Edward Williams. Honorary pallbearers will be Maci Alyse Lopez, Jackson Everett Burnside, Houston Connally Burnside, and Hayden Walker Burnside.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to the Heart of Hospice, 201 West Vermilion Street, Lafayette, Louisiana, 70501, or The ALS Association Louisiana-Mississippi Chapter, Post Office Box 66825, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70896.
The family would like to thank the doctors and staffs of Johns Hopkins Hospital; the ALS clinic at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital; Heart of Hospice; and the Department of Veterans Affairs including the Veterans Administration Hospital in Alexandria, Louisiana, and clinic in Lafayette, Louisiana; and all the friends and family who offered support and prayers during this difficult time.
Martin & Castille - DOWNTOWN, 330 St. Landry Street, Lafayette, Louisiana, 70506 - (337) 234-2311.
