Hattie M. Starks passed peacefully at home on August 3, 2025. She was born on December 10, 1925, in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Hattie was one of six children born to William McKinley and Mary Eliza Davis. She was preceded in death by her husband (Louis Raymond), son (Bernard), and siblings: Henry Davis, Maggie Hughes, Mary Jefferys, William Davis, and Annie E. Davis.

Hattie met and married Louis at Ft Bragg, North Carolina. They were together for sixty-three years. As a military spouse, the family traveled with him on overseas assignments to Germany and locations in the U.S. (North Carolina, Alabama, Washington, and Maryland). She developed lifelong friends from her travels. In 1964, Louis and Hattie made Lakewood their permanent home.

Hattie lived 99 glorious and love-filled years, deeply rooted in her family, church, and community. She saw her family blossom across four generations. Hattie was a long-term member of St. John Church—as a deaconess, she taught Sunday School and sang in the choir. While her children were young, she enjoyed her volunteer activities with the Red Cross and Girl Scouts. After her children graduated from school, she became a licensed preschool instructor, retiring in 1992. In retirement, she would often be seen on her daily walks in Lakewood. Friends and family reported seeing her walking about on her trips to the local post office, Lakewood Town Center, or her bank. At times, she was known to walk as far as the McChord Field Exchange and Commissary.

Hattie leaves to celebrate her memory: daughter, Sharon Williams (Keith) of Fife, Washington; son, Gregory Starks (Karen) of Colorado Springs, Colorado; one granddaughter, Keisha Williams of Lakewood, Washington; two great-grandchildren, Aisha Williams and Asia Jackson of Fife, Washington; one great-great-grandchild, Asiah Cox of Fife, Washington; sister-in-law, Lorraine Starks Smith, of Anaheim, California; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.