Funeral Services for Mr. Lester B. Starnes, 90 year old Randolph resident, are scheduled for Friday June 15, 2018 at 2:00 P.M. at the Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Chapel at Leonard.  Charles Wrenn will officiate.  Burial will be in the Randolph-Lindsey Cemetery.  Family visitation will be Thursday June 14, 2018 from 7:00 P.M. until 9:00 P.M. at the Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Chapel at Leonard.

Lester was born August 19, 1927 at Lewisburg, Tennessee.  His parents were Henderson Tildon and Francis Austin Starnes.  He was a member of the Baptist Church and a member of the D.A.V.  He served his country for 20 plus years as a member of the United States Army attaining the rank of Master Staff Sergeant.  He was the recipient of 3 Purple Heart Medals. He served in the Congolese Uprising in the Belgian Congo, the Cuban Crisis, Korea, where he was a Prisoner of War for 14 months, and in Vietnam for 2 years. In 1957 he was a member of the party that found the “Lady Be Good”, a B-24 bomber that went down during World War II.  He was on a U.S. Army team that photographed the Ethiopian Earthquake and he was on assignment as an Army photographer in Dallas the day President Kennedy was assassinated. He retired in 1968 after 22 ½ years of faithful service. He worked as a police officer in McKinney, Dallas, Leonard and Bonham.  He was an operator at the Randolph Water and Sewer Department, a member of the Randolph V.F.D. and did maintenance at the Randolph-Lindsey Cemetery.  He also worked at the Billups Gas Station and Hunts Department Store.  He passed away Thursday June 7, 2018 at the Mainland Medical Center at Texas City, Texas.

He is survived by his wife:  Bonnie L. Starnes of Randolph; his daughter and son-in-law:  Chastity and Ed Evans of Campbell; his son:  Lester B. Starnes, II of Randolph; his grandchildren:  Devon M. Evans and Christina Rowe of Bonham, Francis “Princess” L. Evans and Mike Lovan of Campbell and Jimmy Dale Evans of Campbell; his brother-in-law and wife:  Ray and Annisa Johnson of Greenville; his sister-in-law:  Anna Walters of Fletcher, North Carolina and his sister-in-law and husband:  Nancy and Steve Tubb of Dike.  He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Henderson Tildon and Francis Austin Starnes. 

Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home of Leonard is in charge of arrangements.  An online registry may be signed at www.tjmfuneral.com.