Joseph "Joe" G. Stark

Joseph “Joe” Gerard Stark, 48, Bismarck, ND, passed away August 9, 2017. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 am Wednesday, August 16, at Church of St. Mary, 806 E. Broadway Ave., Bismarck, with Msgr. Gene Lindemann officiating.  Burial will be held at 1:00 pm Wednesday at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan. Visitation will be held from 3:00 pm – 9:00 pm Tuesday, August 15, at Eastgate Funeral Service, 2302 E. Divide Ave., Bismarck, where a rosary/vigil will begin at 7:00 pm.  Joe was born on November 29, 1968, in Bismarck, ND, to George and Ann (Hoffart) Stark. Joe grew up in Bismarck and graduated from Bismarck High School. Immediately following high school, Joe enlisted in the Army Reserves and started working at Perkins. It was at Perkins, where Joe met his wife, LaRae (Wingerter) Stark. They were married on August 25, 1995, in Bismarck at St Mary’s Catholic Church. Shortly after getting married, Joe was promoted to Associate Manager at Perkins and relocated to Alexandria, MN. To be closer to family, Joe accepted the General Manager role at Denny’s in Bismarck and was there for 17 years. For the past four years, Joe has been working as a food broker at Waypoint in Bismarck. Joe and LaRae have made their home in Bismarck for the past 20 years. In this time, they have opened their home to many foster children and three children of their own, Kylie (19), Trentyn (11) and Brityn (10). One of the highlights of Joe’s life was seeing his daughter graduate high school and watching the boys play football, baseball, basketball, and soccer. Joe had many fond memories of growing up and spending a lot of his time with his nephew Shane and friends Kim, Darrin, and Tad. Joe was always considered part of the family in any household. Joe had a passion for 80s nostalgia, including cars and music. He would blast his radio anytime he could when an old school 80s hairband played. Joe enjoyed camping, spending time with family, talking about the Denver Broncos and football and just being a dad. The kids were the love of Joe’s life. He was a loving, caring, thoughtful and hardworking person liked by everyone he met. Joe was survived by his wife, LaRae; daughter, Kylie; sons, Trentyn and Brityn Stark, Bismarck; father-in-law, Donald Wingerter (Geneva Green), Arvada, CO; mother-in-law, Audrey (Weber) Wingerter, Bismarck; his sisters and brothers, GeorgAnn (Stark) Collins, Grand Forks, ND, Deb (Stark) Sanders, Colorado Springs, CO, Robert and Laurie Stark, Draper, UT, Tracy and MaryChris (Stark) Mitchell, Canyon City, CO, Ed and Peggy (Stark) Pinks, Colorado Springs, CO, Jim Stark, Bismarck, Jerelyn (Stark) Kordonowy, Bismarck, Greg Stark, Bismarck, Tim and Gwen Stark, Bismarck, John Stark, Bismarck; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Josh and Stacy (Wingerter) Duncan, Queen Creek, AZ; eight nephews and seven nieces; a special cat, Whiskey, and puppy, Makita. Joe was preceded in death by his parents, George and Ann (Hoffart) Stark; and infant son Aidyn. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made towards the Stark children’s education fund at Gate City Bank (701.355.7650) in care of LaRae Stark.