WREN / SMITHVILLE – Mavalene Bradford Starling, after a long fruitful life, realized the promises of her Savior and crossed from this life to eternity from Diversicare Nursing Home in Tupelo on Thursday, October 22, 2020. She was 89. Born in Huntsville, Ala. on April 20, 1931 to the late General Lee Bradford and Nellie Armstrong Bradford, she was the last survivor of 10 children born to this union. Mavalene attended Butler High in Huntsville. She married Click Starling on March 21, 1949 in Georgia. They moved to Monroe County in the mid-1950s and she spent the rest of her life there. Her working career was as a seamstress in the garment industry mostly at Indian Creek / Meadow Sportswear / Delta Sportswear in Okolona. A member of the Cason Baptist Church, she loved reading and studying the Bible, fishing and gardening. She followed her Mother as one of the all time great Alabama football/sports fans.
A service celebrating her life will be on Monday, October 26, 2020 at 11 AM at the Tupelo Chapel of Holland Funeral Directors with Bro. Sammy McMillan officiating. Burial will follow at Andrews Chapel Cemetery south of Mooreville. Visitation will be from 9 AM-service time on Monday only. For those unable to attend, the service may be viewed at 11 AM Monday at hollandfuneraldirectors.com/Live-streaming and will be permanently archived thereafter.
She is survived by her daughter, Barbara Colburn of Tupelo; two sons, Roger Starling and wife, Shirley of Dorsey, and Tony Starling and his wife, Michel of Tupelo; 9 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild; and a host of nieces and nephews.
Condolences may be left at www.hollandfuneraldirectors.com or emailed to hollandfuneraldirectors@comcast.net.
