Mary Catherine "Cat" Stark

May 16, 1930 - October 25, 2020

Mary Catherine Stark of Searcy, Arkansas, entered the presence of her Lord on Sunday, October 25. She was born May 16, 1930, in McRae, Arkansas, to Dewey and Mattie McAfee. Cat, as she was known to most people, is survived by a son, Tony Stark of Judsonia, Arkansas; a daughter, Linda Stark Strode of Antioch, Tennessee; eight grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandson. She was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Clifford “Red” Stark, and a son, Allen “Tip” Stark. She was a member of the Rose Bud First Baptist Church for more than 60 years. Cat served as a nurse for more than four decades, retiring in 2012 just before her 80th birthday. She was named nurse of the year in 1995 at what is now Unity Health-Searcy Medical Center. A past president of the Arkansas Licensed Practical Nurses Association, Cat received the association’s Georgia Lee Tucker Award for outstanding and dedicated service in 1997. Memorials may be made to The Sharing Shoppe of Searcy, Arkansas, and the Psalm 139 Project, a ministry of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. Visitation is Thursday from 1:00 until 2:00 pm at Rose Bud First Baptist Church. Funeral services will be Thursday at 2:00 pm at Rose Bud First Baptist Church with interment to follow at Rose Bud Cemetery. Due to the most recent COVID-19 directive, attendance is strictly limited to 100 people and face covering must be worn at all times. Arrangements entrusted to Powell Funeral Home of Searcy. www.powellfuneralhome.net.