Saugerties - On January 10, 2024 Starllie Swonyoung, a bright and uplifting presence, was walking with her good friend Johnathan, when she was struck by a motor vehicle. She was 21 years old.
Born March 24, 2002, she was the daughter of Emmallyea and Croft Swonyoung. Starllie was a Junior at SUNY Purchase where she established herself as a reliable and devoted friend. There she studied political science, journalism, and law in order to further her ability to advocate for others. Her spirit and personality were admired by both her friends and teachers. She also volunteered at SUNY Purchase to support students who put on a performance of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
A graduate of Woodstock Day School where she actively participated in the WDS Newspaper and The Battering Ram, a youth journal that operates out of the school. She also organized LitCon at Woodstock Day School and invited many notable authors to participate. Starllie performed and sang in almost all the plays produced at Woodstock Day School during her time there.
Always active in her community, she volunteered for local food pantries and community refrigerators in both Rockland and Ulster Counties and donated her time to many community engagement projects including For The Many, Citizen Action, Rockland County Democrats and Saugerties Democrats. At the beginning of her senior high school year, she worked as a paid intern in the coordinated campaign that helped elect many of our currently serving representatives.
Starllie was an enthusiastic participant in the Saugerties Mural Arts Project, Rock Academy, Saugerties Ballet Center, and New Genesis Shakespeare. Her love of fantasy and history led her to work at the New York Renaissance Festival. She was once pictured in the Daily Freeman as a child participating as a "Zombie Scout" as an ode to her membership in the Girl Scouts. An avid hiker, she appreciated the beauty of nature in every way.
In addition to her parents, survivors include her sister Cathrine Swonyoung for whom she was both best friend and advocate; her grandmother Kathryn MacDonald, with whom she resided in Rockland County while attending school; and many cousins, aunts and uncles and dear friends.
A celebration of her life is being planned to take place around her birthday this Spring. Please offer your condolences for Starllie and her family online at www.BuonoFuneralService.com .