By Ngoc Vo

When Betty Starks described her life, more than 60 years in Pike County, cooking and helping people are what came to mind.

“My favorite thing about taking care of people is the joy you get out of it, knowing you can do something for somebody,” Starks said. “You’re so busy taking care of them you forget about your aches and pains.”

Starks has been a caretaker for a big family with five children, 18 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. She looked after her husband of 40 years before he died of complications from a heart attack.

“The night he died, I stayed at the hospital reading the Bible to him,” Starks said. “He told me ‘I’m ready to go home with you and the children,’ then he took the last breath.”

Starks used to do home-help where she would sit with two patients a day, spending four hours with each patient cooking, washing and cleaning up for them. She also sat five nights a week, three hours a night with those needed.

“It felt good. I loved my job,” Starks said. “When I got sick and couldn’t work anymore, I was so mad.”

Starks is helping take care of her daughter who also suffered a stroke. She offers support if a relative gets sick or “anyone who needs a place to stay so that they can get back on their feet,” she said.

Both of Starks’ desired careers involves taking care of people in some way.

“If I had a chance, I would have been a nurse or a cook,” Starks said. “But my dream is to open a restaurant of my own.”

Starks enjoys big family dinners on the weekends where her children, grand and great-grandchildren come over.

“I got a kick out of teaching my children to cook,” Starks said. “My three boys can cook as well as I can. I brought them up cooking since they were 10 years old.”

Starks’ passion for cooking shows in the meals she prepares for her family and her church. Her signature dishes features the traditional Southern favorites homemade dressing, squash casserole and fried chicken.

She said the tip is to marinade the chicken in Louisiana hot sauce one hour before frying. However, she said she would not disclose her special recipes any further.