Paul Starkis

Paul Harry Starkis, of Raymond, Colorado, passed away after a long illness on November 29, 2023. The youngest of five siblings, Paul was born in Boston in 1948 to Valdemars (Walter) and Mirdza (May) Starkis, Latvian immigrants, and was raised in Mattapan and Millis, Massachusetts. Walter found work as a carpenter, a trade that he mastered and which he made his career. May’s engineering studies in Latvia were interrupted by World War II; in the United States, she made sneakers and galoshes at a rubber factory.

Not so much into formal education, Paul was an avid reader, especially of history and science fiction, and was the person to go to with any question about a Civil War battle or the Plantagenet family tree. His early adulthood was spent in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he launched his career as a master carpenter (an irony in that, among his brethren, he was the only one never to have worked with his dad), cultivated abiding friendships highlighted by gaming weekends and canoe trips, and most importantly met the love of his life, Leslie Young.

Paul always said the smartest thing he ever did was marry Leslie — in fact, they married twice, first at a courthouse in Hawaii on February 14, 1992 and later that year on Paul’s birthday (October 11) in Cambridge. After two years in the San Francisco Bay Area and three back in Cambridge, they relocated to Colorado for Leslie’s work. Perhaps no one was more surprised than Paul, a former urbanite, that they chose the mountain hamlet of Raymond for their home but it proved a perfect fit. The two immersed themselves in the community, volunteering with the Allenspark Fire Protection District (Paul served for 19 years, including as an EMT), participating in a longtime book group, and of course becoming breakfast regulars at the Meadow Mountain Café. Paul and Leslie have also been longtime members of the Adventure Rabbi congregation (Paul converted to Judaism enthusiastically to prepare for his marriage).

Paul and Leslie took many trips, both cross-country and abroad; favorite destinations ranged from Paris, France to Bluff, Utah. In the last year of his life, the two embarked on a virtual journey Around the World in 80 Weeks, enjoying everything from a balloon ride over Luxor, Egypt to a scavenger hunt in Singapore, getting as far East as the Galapagos.

Paul’s final professional project was the loving remodel of his and Leslie’s flood-damaged home on Riverside Drive. A hard-working craftsman, he also knew better than anyone how to relax, and every gathering was more fun with him at the center.

Paul was predeceased by his siblings Ieva (Evie) Berzins, Janis (John), and Uldis (Peter). He was dearly loved and will be missed beyond measure by his wife Leslie, brother Andrej (Andy, wife Ginny), his extended family (“Uncle Paul” was a favorite of his many nieces and nephews), and his dear friends and neighbors.

A graveside service will be held Sunday, December 3 at 10 a.m. at Mountain View Memorial Park, 3016 Kalmia Ave., Boulder, Colorado 80301. Family and friends are kindly invited to attend. No flowers by request — please send donations to the Allenspark Fire Protection District.