Obituary of Maureen V. (Starks) DePaul

April 18, 1943 - March 3, 2025

Born in Troy, NY, to the late Victoria (Sandulla) Starks and Stanley Starks, Maureen had roots in Mechanicville and Stillwater. A 1960 graduate of Catholic Central High School, Maureen went on to study at Russell Sage College, graduating as a member of the class of 1964. Her degree led to a long and successful career in education. Her unending thirst for knowledge also led her to pursue two Master’s Degrees, one in Reading and Writing and the other in Educational Administration. 

She first taught primary grades at Stillwater Central School and went on to teach at Shenendehowa Central School, in Skano, Chango and Arongen Elementary Schools.  After spending several years teaching second grade, she spent the latter part of her career pioneering and teaching in Shenendehowa’s Gifted and Talented program, now known as the QUEST program. Her final years were spent in sixth grade at Acadia Middle School, where she taught her favorite subjects of writing and Social Studies, and she retired in 1999. 

Those subjects were an integral part of Maureen as we knew her.  Maureen was an avid reader of all things educational and esoteric. Even after retirement she continued to learn and became certified to administer the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator instrument. She worked with other like-minded individuals in a local chapter of APT, the Association for Psychological Type, sharing her knowledge of personality theory with educators and other professionals. 

A talented writer, she loved to express herself in poesy and prose, and enjoyed contributing to her family’s milestones with heartfelt words in her beautiful writing style. 

Some of her fondest memories included visiting the places she taught about in her long career as an educator. Her passion for learning translated into a passion for travel. She went RVing during the summers with her significant other of 32 years, the late Raymond H. Quackenbush, and spent some of her vacations touring parts of Europe with her daughter and some of her lifelong friends. Her favorite European tours included stops in England, France, Italy and Germany.

Maureen was a connoisseur of the good things in life. If you ever visited her at home, you would have seen it as an accurate reflection of her life. She accumulated many treasures from her world travels and kept a meticulous and elegant home. In her sixties, she took up a new hobby and learned how to play the harp. 

Maureen loved her family and instilled beloved traditions in her children and grandchildren. She was a wonderful cook and phenomenal baker. Her family recipes are treasured parts of the traditions she passed down. 

Left to cherish her memory are her children, Lynne (Andrew) Hale and Vincent (Nicole) DePaul. She was a loving Nana to her grandchildren Ryan and Catherine Hale, and Mackenzie DePaul, and Mere-Mere to Shane and Kurt Quackenbush, sons of Raymond L. and Erin Quackenbush.  Longtime “WSM” to Debbie and Jeffrey Quackenbush. Maureen is also survived by her former husband Frank DePaul, many cousins, and her dearest friends, Barbara Fronzcek, Connie Hosterman and Eleanor Ferraro. She was predeceased by her longtime significant other Raymond H. Quackenbush. 

Relatives and friends are invited to Calling Hours on Monday, March 10, 2025 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Gordon C. Emerick Funeral Home, 1550 RT-9, Clifton Park, NY 12065 and to the Mass of Christian Burial on Tuesday morning at 9:45 a.m. in the Chapel at St. Edward’s Church, 569 Clifton Park Center Rd. in Clifton Park.

Interment will be held at a later time in St. Paul’s Cemetery, Mechanicville.

Maureen’s family would like to express their sincere gratitude to Victoria Naze, Chelsea McKaig, Jordyn Grignon and Heather Lawson. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association or to the Community Hospice in Maureen’s honor. 

Please view the Memorial Video and express your on-line Condolences by using those tabs on this website.