Ida Elisabeth Staryk

Ida Elisabeth Staryk, maiden name Busch, of Sarasota FL, passed away Sept. 20th, 2023

Born July 7th, 1935 in Amsterdam Holland, she attended the Conservatory of Music in Amsterdam and became an accomplished violinist, her childhood dream. After a year of study in Rome, she returned to Holland to begin her career as a violinist in the renowned Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Here she met the love of her life, the handsome virtuoso concertmaster, Steven Staryk. He soon whisked her away, and she followed him to England, then to the US where they had their only child Natalie. Ida dedicated her life to motherhood from this point on. The family moved several times, spending over a decade in Toronto, another in Seattle, another in Scottsdale AZ, and finally 13 years back in Toronto. Although always homesick for Holland, Ida had firm roots in Toronto. However, her daughter, son-in-law and grandson were most important, so when they settled in Bradenton FL, Ida and Steve came along to spend their final years together.

Ida was a very strong woman, having lived through World War II and losing many relatives in the Holocaust. Her love and loyalty to her family and friends was unwavering. She supported her husband emotionally during his illustrious career, and always stood by her daughter through troubled times, eventually witnessing her success. Ida adored her grandson and always listened with rapt attention, as he explained baseball and cars to her, which she knew nothing about. She considered her son-in-law to be her son, and greatly appreciated everything he did for her, especially in her final years. Ida also became very attached to her caregivers and was very grateful to them for all they did to help her.

After a long battle with MS, she finally succumbed to the disease at the age of 88, and died peacefully at home on September 20th. She is predeceased by her parents Hans and Judith Busch, and her sister and brother-in-law Lavinia and Jules Ornek. She is survived by her husband of 62 years, Steven Staryk, her daughter Natalie Paul, son-in-law Michael Paul, grandson Anthony Paul, as well as her niece Judy van Attekum.

A Celebration of Life will be held in Toronto, Canada, at Mt Pleasant Funeral Centre on November 19th, 2023, from 1-3 pm.

In lieu of flowers, please direct donations to either the National MS Society or MS Canada