Starling J.T. Proffit

STARLING J.T. PROFFIT Memorial services for longtime Cortez resident, Starling J.T. Proffit will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, January 8 at the Ertel Memorial Chapel. Star was born on August 22, 1927 in Camargo, Okla. the son of David B. and Beulah I. (Brown) Proffit. He passed away on Wednesday, December 31, 2014 at Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango at the age of 87. Star moved to Cortez in 1977 as a Soils Engineer for the Bureau of Reclamation. He worked on the McPhee Dam Project. In the mid 1980's Star retired from the Bureau and went to work for Mountain Gravel. He was the project manager for their road projects; retiring after ten years. An active man his entire life, Star went from breaking horses while in high school to an avid golfer and bowler in his later years. Star will always be remembered for his "Hole In One" at the Pinto Bean Classic where he won a Ford Pickup Truck. Cortez bowling leagues will remember Star as the first to bowl a "300" at Lakeside Lanes. Sports weren't Star's only passions. He also loved to take road trips and see the country. Believed to be a hero by his children, Star was most importantly a loving family man. Surviving Star are his children, Sharon Hustedt and husband, Rodney of Roswell, Ga., Debra J. Martin and husband, Larry of Ely, Nev., and Jacque Proffit of Sanger, Texas. He leaves five grandchildren, Timothy Blair Hustedt, Brandon Wayne Hustedt, James Turner Neel, Sara Somerville and Star Patrick Stephens; nine great grandchildren, Savannah, Madison, Ethan, Malia, Kamea, Corben, Austin, Blaine and Andrea; as well as his niece, Rhonda Hoots of Othello, Wash.; and his nephew, Art Ipson of Opelika, Ala. Preceding Star in death are his wife, Betty Jo (Gates) Proffit; his father, David B. Proffit; his mother, Beulah I. Johnson; his Step-father, Art Johnson; and his sister, Geraldine Jerry Daugherty.