West Des Moines Man Killed in Father’s Day Boating Tragedy Remembered for ‘Big Heart’

As investigators sort out facts about a tragic Father’s Day outing on the Des Moines River, they have a lot of unanswered questions. But Bridget Tedder knows this: Kelly Starrett, 49, who lost his life in a boat crash about 7 p.m. Sunday, never judged her and never labeled her.

Instead, the West Des Moines man "opened his heart and his home to me,” said Tedder, who rents Starrett’s home in Valley Junction.

She’s paying rent now, but that wasn’t always the case.

“He didn’t know me from Adam,” said Tedder, whose daughter was friends with members of Starrett’s family and was living at the house. When Tedder and her boyfriend of 10 years separated, she fell into financial difficulty and lost her home.

Starrett stepped in.

“I had no place to go,” Tedder said. “He kind of knew life was full of changes, unknowns and mistakes.”

Tedder said she didn’t know Starrett well, but knew him as a person who “loved life.”

Friends of the victim, who was a well-known local musician who played drums, are planning a benefit concert for the Starrett family Thursday night at the Thirsty Sportsman, 4808 S.W. Ninth St. in Des Moines, as well as a concert to remember Starrett at McRae Park, 1021 Davis Ave. in Des Moines, from 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday, KCCI reported.

At one point, Starrett was jamming with four bands, according to the website Angel Fire, including in an acoustic duo with Gary “Moose” Meier, and with Monkey Finger, Full Blast and Can O’worms.

10-Month-Old Pulled From Water

Starrett and members of his family were celebrating Father’s Day on the river for all the dads in the Starrett family, a family member told the Des Moines Register. They later heard about “an emergency on the river” while unloading a boat at the Birdland Marina.

Starrett’s brother, Tony Starrett, 46, of Des Moines was at the helm of the boat in which his brother died. He and the captain of the other boat, Steven Mayo, 54, also of Des Moines, were both charged with boating while intoxicated.

Tony Starrett’s blood-alcohol content was .172, and Mayo’s was .129, said Kevin Baskins, a spokesman for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Enforcement Bureau. The measurements were taken about two hours after the accident, according to Baskins.

The legal blood-alcohol content for boating is .08, the same as for driving.

Investigators are still piecing together what happened. Witnesses said the two boats were traveling in opposite directions when they veered toward each other and collided, Baskins said.

“Boating collisions are difficult to investigate,” he said. “There are no skid marks on water, and there’s a potential for evidence to fall into the water.”

One of the boats was not removed from the water until early Monday afternoon. The entire right said was smashed, Baskins said. The more severely damaged boat, the one captained by Mayo, made it to shore, the DNR spokesman said.

Two people from each of two boats that collided were were thrown into the water but were quickly rescued by others on the scene and were taken to a Des Moines hospital Sunday evening where they were treated and released, according to a news release from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Those individuals included Kelly Starrett’s 10-month-old granddaughter, Melody. She was the only person in the boat wearing a life jacket, Baskins said. It likely saved her life. Baskins said authorities don’t know the identity of the second person thrown in the water.

Authorities also aren’t yet sure how many people were in the boat operated by Mayo, which was towing a knee board.

Alcohol, Sun, Waves and Powerful Boat Deadly

The boat captained by Tony Starrett was a 16-foot pleasure craft with a powerful 427 Chevy V-8 engine.

Fast boats, waves, alcohol and sun can be  dangerous combination, Baskins said.

“What people don’t realize when they’re drinking on the water is that the wave action and exposure to sunlight intensifies the effect of that, and then add wave action and the unusual size of the crafts,” he said. “It can be a dangerous situation.”

The incident remains under investigation by the department and additional charges may be filed. That determination ultimately will be made by the Polk County Attorney’s Office.