At the September 14 Milford City Council meeting, Councilwoman Katrina Wilson announced that respected educator, Dr. Jeanel Starling, had passed away that afternoon. Wilson stated that Starling had fallen ill that afternoon and passed away a few hours after. Starling was the wife of former City Councilman James Starling.
Jeanel Loretta Daniels Starling was born to the late Daisy and Garfield W. Daniels Sr., one of 13 children born in Norfolk, Virginia. Her parents moved the family to North Carolina and later to Delaware in search for better working opportunities. The entire family were active participants in all types of fieldwork which meant hard work was nothing new to her
Starling followed her family into cotton fields, string beans fields, potato fields and cabbage fields, weeding tender plants. She detested fieldwork and made a promise to herself that she would succeed in life with a good career.
The Daniels family was very close and family meetings and devotions were highly regarded. It was here that Starling developed a love and respect for humankind, especially those less fortunate. The value of education and pride in self as well as upbringing were strong themes in the Daniels household and at the all-black school she attended. It was also strongly encouraged at church.
Starling learned at a young age that people were more important than material things was another theme that ran through the Daniels household as well as in the social circles starling traveled in. She learned that the love of God far exceeded anything else and that education was something no one could ever take from her.
As a child, Starling was active in many activities, including 4-H Club, oratorical contests, school plays, choral ensembles, both at school and in her family’s gospel group. She knew early on that she wanted to work with people in some way. Initially, she hoped to become an actress, then she though she may want to become a lawyer to help those who could not afford legal representation.
In the fourth grade, her goals shifted when she met a tiny, sophisticated, eloquent and well-educated teacher from Boston named Ruth B. Doxey. This tiny, caring teacher who was also firm with her students, had the talent to make all her students feel like they were the most important people in the world. Her students especially delighted in her thick Boston accent and she was so inspiring, Starling knew she wanted to become a teacher. She believed she could make a difference in the lives of children, just as Ruth B. Doxey did for her.
Starling did not set out to just be a teacher, however. She wanted to become the best educator God ever created. She graduated from the William C. Jason High School in Georgetown in 1961. That same year, she married James O. Starling Sr. and entered Delaware State College. While attending college, Starling had two children, returning to the classroom when both children were just six months old. Determined to earn her degree, she worked late into the night reading and writing papers, sometimes preparing baby formula and doing laundry while she studied. Her drive and motivation to succeed was ingrained in her.
In 1968, Starling graduated from Delaware State College, which is now Delaware State University and began teaching in Dover. She continued her education at Salisbury State College, which is now Salisbury State University, earning her master’s degree in education in 1975. It was difficult and there were times she took her children with her to class, but God moved miraculously in her life.
“I knew God called me to ministry at the age of 12 but allowed me to pursue my secular goals first until it was time to take another turn toward Kingdom Building and full-time ministry,” Starling often said.
While pursuing her degree in education, Starling also became a certified lay speaker with the United Methodist Church. This afforded her the opportunity to preach in her local church and beyond.
In 1983, Starling became certified in school administration and became the first African American assistant principal in Milford Middle School. She also became the first African American principal in Sussex County. At the same time, Starling implemented the Slaughter Neck Community Action Tutorial Program with her sister, Roslyn Harris, which gained state and local recognition.
Her love for children and their success in and out of school drew parents from neighboring communities wanting to enter their children in the program. It was highlighted on WBOC-TV and the publicity increased the number of applicants for the program.
In 1989, Starling became the principal of Lakeview Elementary School in Milford and was accepted into the doctorate program at the University of Delaware, a degree she earned in 1993.
Starling transferred to the principalship of Lulu M. Ross Elementary School in 1993 and remained there until 1998. In 1995, she was named Elementary Principal of the Year for the State of Delaware. She also organized a support group to provide encouragement, hope and assistance for teachers unable to pass the Praxis, a test teachers must pass in order to teach. Starling observed the pain in teachers who could not pass the test and she wanted to help.
Under her leadership, Ross became a Professional Development School, in partnership with the University of Delaware to establish the Southern Delaware Teacher Education Program. In 1998, Starling retired from Milford School District and became the first coordinator of the Southern Delaware Teacher Education Program with the University of Delaware.
While serving as the principal at Ross, Starling was moved by God to attend seminary. She graduated in May 2002 from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Philadelphia with a Master of Divinity Degree. She retired from the University of Delaware in 2003 and became a probationary elder in the Peninsula-Delaware Conference of the United Methodist Church.
For three years, Starling studied to become an ordained elder and reached that goal in June 2006 at the Annual Peninsula-Delaware Conference. She served as a full elder of the Peninsula Delaware Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Over the years, Starling was involved in many community and civic organizations. She remained active with her family’s gospel group, the Daniels Family Gospel Singers, and played a major role in keeping her family spiritually grounded and bonded. She firmly believed that family togetherness and unity is one of the most important things in life. She also believed in treating people with respect and dignity regardless of who they are. More than anything, she believed she was created to make a difference in the lives of those she meets as she traveled her journey with God.
Until she passed, Starling was an advocate for parents needing assistance in understanding educational jargon while attending parent conferences, special education and discipline meetings. Moreover, she earned multiple awards, was involved in many organizations and served as a motivational speaker.
There has been no word on when services will be held for Starling. Once that information has been released, Milford Times will add it to this article.
