Charlotte “Lotty” Stark, who escaped Nazi-occupied Belgium in 1942 and was a beloved presence at Rodef Shalom, passed away April 25, 2020, in Denver. She was 96. Rabbi Bernard Gerson officiated at the April 28 service at Emanuel Cemetery. Feldman Mortuary made the arrangements.
“I miss her more than I’ve ever missed anyone,” says her daughter Michele Stark Hailpern. “She’s been the center of my life for so many years and now that rock is gone.
“If not for my parents’ willingness and ability to be open, honest and forthright about who they were and what they went through, neither I, my son Mitchell nor my husband Kerry could bear witness for them going forward.”
Mrs. Stark was born Aug. 17, 1923, in Luxembourg. After enduring two years of the Nazi occupation of Belgium, she fled the country in 1942.
With the exception of an uncle, her entire family perished in the Holocaust.
Mrs. Stark arrived in New York in 1942 and settled in Kew Gardens. A self-taught milliner, she opened a hat store and also modeled her creations.
She married Walter Stark, who escaped from Germany, in 1944 in Cleveland. The couple moved to Denver in 1950 due to her asthma.
The Starks owned and operated Furniture Rental, an upscale store that furnished residences for the Parade of Homes and other events.
This inspired Mrs. Stark to become an interior designer.
The Starks were longtime members and supporters of Rodef Shalom.
Walter Stark passed away on Nov. 21, 2002.
Mrs. Stark developed dementia. As the disease deteriorated, her memories of the Holocaust intensified. “A Denver Tale,” about the struggles of mother and daughter during their COVID-19 separation, ran in the IJN, April 24, 2020.
Lotty Stark is survived by her daughter Michele (Kerry) Stark Hailpern; grandson Mitchell Dobro; and nephews Armand and Fabien Heilbronn and their families, of Luxembourg.
Her daughter Adrienne (Dienne) died on Dec. 26, 1988, at age 33.
Contributions may be made to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, or Rodef Shalom.
Copyright © 2020 by the Intermountain Jewish News
