STARKEY PERRY F

CPT Perry F. Starkey was a VHPA member who died after his tour in Vietnam on 06/29/2017 at the age of 71.3 from Auto accident
Oklahoma City, OK
Flight Classes 68-44 and 68-524
Date of Birth 03/21/1946
Served in the U.S. Army
Served in Vietnam with B/3/17 CAV in 69-70, 3/17 CAV in 70
Call sign in Vietnam STOGIE 07
This information was provided by Lynn Starkey-Spouse

More detail on this person: Born March 21, 1946, Perry Foster Starkey Jr. passed on June 29, 2017. Perry was survived by his wife Lynn of 50 years; a daughter Steffani and her husband Dale Reed, and their children Elizabeth, Kathrine, Clayton, and Ellen; a son Steven and his wife Anke Bosner Starkey, their daughter Victoria; niece Rayvin Markham and her husband Owen Gunn; sister Carolyn Starkey and three nephews and their children. Perry is a graduate of Putnam City High School Class of 1964. Perry fell in love with aviation at a young age and was lucky enough to enjoy a long and successful career in the field. He began his career 6 months after marrying Lynn by enlisting in the US Army at the height of the Vietnam War. Perry graduated from the Field Artillery Officer Candidate School, Ft. Sill, Oklahoma and was commissioned as a 2 Lieutenant. He then completed Rotary Wing Flight Training and Aircraft Maintenance Officer School prior to being deployed to South Vietnam where he was assigned to B Troop 3rd Squadron 17th Air Calvary. He flew over 900 hours first as a lift pilot then maintenance officer. He finished his tour as the Squadron Maintenance Officer. Returning from Vietnam to Fort Sill, Perry was given command of the 154th Transportation Detachment in charge of field maintenance for the 154th Transportation Co. (Heavy) flying CH47 Chinook helicopters. From there he moved to the 1st Aerial Field Artillery Battery where he was a maintenance officer and instructor pilot. Perry rose to the rank of captain prior to leaving active duty. Upon leaving active duty, he took an appointment as Chief Warrant Officer in the Oklahoma Army National Guard where he worked for 5 years as the maintenance supervisor for the OKARNG Army Aviation Support Facility. During this time Perry received his FAA civilian ratings as a commercial instrument pilot in helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. While with the National Guard Perry logged over 2000 hours of accident free flying. Leaving the cockpit, he joined the FAA as air traffic controller where he worked for 22 years retiring in 1999. Within months he returned to the FAA this time as a contract instructor teaching newly hired controllers at the F AA's Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center. Perry left his instructor position to return to work as an air traffic controller at Kandahar International Airport, Kandahar, Afghanistan and Qarshi-Kannabad Airport, Qarshi, Uzbekistan. After two years Perry returned to Oklahoma and the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center as a Subject Matter Specialist for the Civil Aviation Medical Institute. While at CAMI he was a key person on the team certifying the testing used to hire new air traffic controllers and with a team producing a 350-page air traffic controller instructor manual explaining practical teaching techniques and the psychology behind them. In addition to his FAA controller duties Perry was a professional airshow controller. Foremost among the many airshows he controlled was the Texas Air Expo celebrating Texas's Sesquicentennial in 1986. He was responsible for the scheduling, execution and safety of 8 hours of aviation acts involving over 200 aircraft and the safety of the 50,000 plus spectators that attended the 4 days of the event. Perry enthusiastically supported his family emotionally, financially and physically in all their endeavors professionally and socially. After third drunken driving accident in 1985 Perry entered treatment for alcoholism then joined a 12 step program where he remained sober for the rest of his life. Perry adopted as his personal standard of behavior Micah 6:8: "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Perry was an avid reader his entire life favoring in turn American history, science fiction, mysteries, aviation history, theology and finally LGBT studies. His favorite poem was High Flight by John Gillespie McGee Captain Starkey was laid to rest on July 17, 2017 in Fort Sam Houston Cemetery, San Antonio, Texas.

Burial information: Fort Sam Houston Cemetery, San Antonio, Texas

This information was last updated 07/30/2017

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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024


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