Sara's Serendipity: March 2012

OBITUARY: Marian June Anderson Starr-Davis

Marian June Anderson Starr-Davis was born June 4, 1926 in Indianapolis, Indiana to Rev. Alexander and Ada Anderson(Angelopoulos). She remembers her family and early home life as happy and loving. Marian was proud of her Greek heritage. She spoke of her Greek heritage often and enjoyed cooking her family Greek recipes. She often spoke of playing the piano for the congregation her father pastored when she was a very young girl. She remembers falling asleep during the sermon to be awakened to play a final song. She was a very accomplished musician who played several instruments, especially the organ and piano which she played several times a week for church services and special meetings. She enjoyed being one of the youngest from a large family of 8 children who were all gifted with musical and artistic abilities as well as great humor, which made for an exciting home and always plenty of free entertainment during the depression years. She attended public schools in Indianapolis and graduated from Arsenal Technical High School in 1945. She was very gifted in the arts and was an artist and painter in various forms, whether on canvas with oils or painting murals on walls or interior decorating in a classy European way that was always welcoming to family and guests. She loved the arts and style and always dressed beautifully and took joy in putting things together creatively.

In 1946 she married Rev. William R. Starr in Lansing, Michigan. He was a graduate of the University of Michigan with a Masters Degree. They had five girls who all grew up and married ministers also, Marcia June(Rev. Martyn Ballestero) , Alexa Renee (Rev. Rick Olson), Rebecca Jean (Rev. David Trammell), Priscilla Eleanor (Rev. Curtis Spears), and Sara Lee (Rev. Tom Copple). In 1951, together they began to pastor and grow a new start up congregation that became a thriving church, Christ Apostolic Church of Albion, Michigan. Albion, Michigan is where they spent the majority of their years, raised their daughters, and called it “home”. In 1959, Rev. Starr became District Superintendent of the Michigan District of the U.P.C.I.. Marian was his partner in every sense of the word. She was his all-in-one best assistant, acting as a secretary, confident, carpenter, chef, decorator, entertainer, counselor, music minister, accountant, purchasing agent, designer, conference and event planner and besides her many roles still took special care of her husband, home and five children. Her life expanded in just the way she always wanted and dreamed when each of her children married and had children of their own making her a very proud Grandma who loved nothing better than holding court at her cabin over a long dinner table with lots of conversation and children running wildly in and out. She had 19 grandchildren and many of who are married and having children of their own who have given her…17 great-grandchildren. All to her delight.

She became a widow suddenly in 1987 at the young age of 60 and went through some lonely years until she met and married Bishop Howard H. Davis of Devore, California in 1992. He swept her off to sunny California and they spent the next 20 years traveling the world and having the time of their life- living each day to the fullest. He was Pastor of Gateway Christian Fellowship of San Bernardino, California. Marian was actively involved as pastors wife with him for many years. Marian enjoyed becoming a part of Howard’s life and also of his daughter Glenna (Rev. Royce Walker) and their two children, Jessica and Logan. He loves to tell how he went to sleep the night before his wedding to Marian with one daughter and woke up the next day with six daughters and twenty plus grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents Alexander and Ada, her brothers Christopher and Augustus, her sisters Mary Oakleaf, Amelia Schnieder, and Theodora Jordan, her late husband Rev. William R. Starr and her grandson Nathan Alexander Copple.

She is survived by two brothers, Basil and Andy Anderson, her daughters and their families, grandchildren and her husband Bishop Howard H. Davis. She will have a funeral service at the Gateway Christian Fellowship of San Bernardino, California and at Christ Apostolic Church, Albion, Michigan where her body will be interned at the Albion Memorial Gardens next to her late husband Rev. William R. Starr.

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By, Sara Starr Copple

March 14, 2012