Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Sending Love to Heaven

I've started to write this post a few times.  I even got about five long paragraphs in, but then decided to delete it all.  My words just kept coming out wrong.  I've been hiding from the blog world for a few weeks now.  I have my reasons and they go something like this:

I was really busy at work in June.

Mr. Cob, Lukas and I went on vacation.

The second to last day of vacation my 93 year old grandpa passed away.

My mom's family (including my brother and nephew) descended upon Atlanta to honor, mourn and celebrate my grandpa.

Needless to say, its been an emotionally taxing few weeks.  There have been some really happy moments mixed in with some really sad moments.  I don't feel really comfortable writing about how I feel about my grandfather passing.  Maybe in a while I will, but for now, I'll just say that he's the first person who I felt close to who has died.  I've been lucky in that regard.  Papa John was a Colonel in the United States Army and had military honors at the funeral including a 21 gun salute, the folding/presenting of the flag to my grandmother and the playing of Taps.  This made a difficult day even more difficult, I think, but I'm glad he was given that honor for his service.  He lived a full life and left behind a large family.  Papa John will be missed by many.

My uncle Tom wrote better than I could about him, so I thought I'd share his words here:

The distance between Gay, Georgia and Greenvile, Georgia is about ten miles.



The distance between when John Starr began his life in Gay, Georgia on January 31, 1918 to the moment on July 1, when he left us was ninety-three years.


During these ninety-three years the currents of history moved at near impossible speeds. The world that existed when John began his life and the one in which he was raised in the small Southern town of Greenville no longer exists.


John’s lineage can be traced back to Henry Starr who was born in 1752 and served in the Maryland Militia during the Revolutionary War.

John's parents Joseph Tenth Starr and Marie Barnes Starr raised John along with brothers Robert Arless, Joseph Tenth Jr., and sisters Ruth Adeline and Sarah Ellen during difficult Depression years.


The values that that were formed during these years remained with him his entire life. A close bond to family, strong work ethic, and an appreciation for personal integrity and honesty were central to John's character and outlook on life.

During high school John participated in numerous activities and excelled at track and field events including pole vaulting where he competed and won several state competitions. After graduating from Greenville High in 1936 he attended college briefly in Rome Ga. then the University of South Ga. for two years. During this time he was a Field representative for the Dept. of Agriculture specializing in tobacco programs. He would later receive his LLB degree from Blackstone College of Law while serving in the military.


During World War II John served as an Infantry officer and was responsible for logistics and training of many troops. In the Pacific Theater he was involved in the demilitarization of Japan at the war's conclusion. While stationed at Ft. Breckenridge, Ky. he met Margaret Imogene Railey, fell in love and was married to Jean for 67 wonderful years. After the war, while in reserve status, John worked at Delta Airlines as an assistant station manger in the south for several large airports. He would resume his Army career and spend 32 years in many varied assignments around the world.

Highlights of his Army career include serving as an intelligence officer debriefing thousands of displaced persons after the war in Salzburg, Austria. This important work resulted in valuable information helpful during the Cold War. He also had tours of duty in Taiwan, Korea, Fort Benning, Georgia, Oklahoma Military Academy, Okinawa, and Fort Monroe, Virginia. He received numerous commendations and awards for his service to the country. He retired from the Army in 1974. Jean and John moved to Lakeland, Florida and would spend the next 30 years.

John obtained his private pilots license in 1940 and his interest in aviation was a lifelong pursuit.


John was an active member in the Experimental Aviation Association (EAA). While in Florida he served as a board member of the Sun-N-Fun Fly-In and participated in many aspects of this organization while promoting his love of flying.

John loved talking to people and would offer a “Hello” or smile to both friend and stranger. John was a lifelong Methodist and attended church regularly. He lived out his faith by caring about people and would go out of his way to help those that needed encouragement. John's love for his family was the primary focus of his thoughts throughout his life. He leaves wife Jean, sons John B. Starr Jr., Dr. Robert M. Starr, Tom Starr, and daughters Sippy Cesare, Amy Hubbard, Becky Ferrell, and Tami Paulus. The legacy of his memory will be carried forward with 12 grandchildren and 19 great-grand children.

John will remain in the hearts of his family as he held his loved ones in his heart for so many years.


His sense of humor, love of maps and flashlights, moments of cantankerousness, and mostly his love of Jean will always be with us.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

2 comments:

  1. What a touching tribute. I'm so sorry you lost your grandpa. What a blessing to have had such a relationship with him though.

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  2. What a lovely tribute to your Grandpa. You were very, very lucky to have had him in your life for so long. That doesn't make it easier, but, it is definitely something you can be thankful for. Hugs to you during this difficult time.

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