Eileen Stark

Eileen Johnson Stark (Ninny) departed this life for eternal peace on September 28, 2025
in residence at Big Pink. Ninie, as she was affectionately called, was born in Sycamore, Illinois on December 6, 1932. She and husband Jim married on New Year’s Eve in 1951 and rapidly birthed four children in five years. The Starks also informally adopted two “outside” children in 1972, Kathleen (Cookie) Johnson and brother John Johnson, forever a part of the Stark family (the Johnson name being a coincidence). Ninee held on long enough to understand that her beloved Ole Miss Rebels beat LSU, a game she nervously anticipated. On Saturdays in the fall, this Ole Miss fan faithfully watched every game available.Ninnie and Jim spent 42 years together before Jim succumbed to brain cancer leaving NiNi to carry on as the head of the family. Nienie accompanied Jim on many business trips, particularly to Houston, Texas but her fondest and most reminisced memories were trips to New Orleans where Ninny reveled in the sights, sounds, and smells of New Orleans, experiences she recalled even near the end. Jim and Ninie shared a very close and loving bond, a loss that created a huge void in her life. Ninee loved to crochet and amassed a huge collection of yarn and well-intentioned but unfinished projects – if you met her, she was going to crochet a scarf, hat, or afghan for you but, more than likely, you would never get it. She tuned in daily to crochet blogs on YouTube exhibiting her navigation skills with technology. Gardening was a passion resulting in a beautifully planted yard blooming abundantly throughout the seasons. For years, her front yard was a delight for trick or treaters, featuring life-sized “Hattie,” the witch. Ninnie had a multitude of friends and “adopted” children from all walks of life. She shared a special relationship with Anthony Sims, her best friend, for over 40 years.

Nini was predeceased by her loving husband, Jim Stark, her daughter, Lynette Stark, and son, Jimmy Stark.

  She leaves behind her daughter Luanne Thompson; son Tim Stark (Anna) of Amory; daughter Kathleen Morris (Cookie) of Houston, Texas; and son John Johnson; her grandchildren Dr. Candace Thompson (Stephen Powell) of Memphis; Mary Margaret Thompson of Southaven; Reed Thompson of Nashville; Judge Tiffany Kilpatrick of Oxford; Wren Stark;Heather Riley (William) of Greenwood Springs; Matt Stark (Melanie) of Amory; and Ross Stark(Heather) of Hattiesburg; her great-grandchildren Schyler Powell Bussey (Jonathan) of San Diego, CA; Corbyn Powell of Norfolk, VA; Anders Powell of Memphis; Alyssa Gates of Memphis; Sophia James and Collin Walker, both of Southaven; Rhex Lowe of Oxford; Dominik Riley of Kirbyville, Texas; Meagan Riley of Amarillo, Texas; Jack Riley and Lex Riley, both of Greenwood Springs; Riley Stark and Anna Brooke Stark, both of Amory; Thomas Stark, Daniel Stark, and Owen Stark, all of Hattiesburg; and, finally, her great-great-grandchildren Alana Harris of New Albany; Kyla James of Southaven; and Palmer Bussey of San Diego, CA. She also leaves behind her favorite cat, Sylvester.

A Celebration of Life will be held Wednesday, October 1 at 2:00 p.m. at Tisdale-Lann Memorial Funeral Home. Immediately following the service, visitation and a repass will be held at The Depot on Chestnut Street in Aberdeen. Everyone is invited to continue the celebration of a life well lived.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Southern Reins for Equine Therapy in Collierville, Tennessee at www.southernreins.org or in honor of Nienie, watch YouTube and learn to crochet.(The multiple spellings of her moniker is intentional because no one ever knew how to spell it,including her.)