COMO — Valerie Denise Polk Starks-Sykes, 55, died Monday, Dec. 14, 2015 at Baptist Hospital in Memphis. Funeral services will be held on Saturday at 11 a.m. at New Sardis M.B. Church, 7739 E. Holmes Road in Memphis with the Rev. L. LaSimba M. Gray Jr., officiating. Burial will be in Askew Grove M.B. Church in Longtown. A viewing will be held on Friday from 11 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. with visitation from 5-7 p.m. in the Vera Mae Hodges Chapel of Remembrance at Hodges Funeral Homes, which is in charge of arrangements.

Formerly of Oxford, she was a counselor for Alliance Health Care in Memphis. She received her bachelor, master and specialist degrees from the University of Mississippi. She was a former member of Second M.B. Church in Oxford where she sung in the choir. She was a member of New Sardis M.B. Church where she sang in the choir and was a member of SAS (Sisters Affirming Sisters). She was also a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.

She is survived by her husband, Greg Sykes of Chattanooga, Tennessee; daughter, Kerbe Starks-Bibbs of Horn Lake; sons, Cedric Hilliard of Houston, Texas, and Brenan Starks of Memphis; step-son, Sidney Sykes of Marks; stepdaughters, Kristan Bounds of Memphis and Kourtney Bullock of Baltimore; brothers, J.C. Kimmons of Omaha, Nebraska, and Charles Kimmons of Como; sisters, Verdis Perry of Omaha, Nebraska, Vernita Polk-Williams of Oxford, Beverly Kimmons of Sardis and Sharon Davis of Como; and seven grandchildren.