Starr Hall Blair 1946 - 2008

Starr A. Blair, of Lubbock, passed away at a local hospital late on Friday evening, Feb. 22, 2008. She was 61 years old.

There will be a memorial service for any who wish to join the family in remembering her at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008 at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 1706 Slide Road, Lubbock, Texas.

Starr was born July 1, 1946 in Moline, Illinois and traveled extensively as a child as a member of an Army family, even spending some time in France. At Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota, Starr joined the first generation of dual-career women professionals as a social worker. While there, she also met and married her husband, John D. Blair, a marriage that celebrated its 40th year last October. Continuing with her dedication to helping others, she received her M.S.W. from the University of Michigan in 1974, was board certified by the Academy of Certified Social Workers, and was licensed at the highest level by the state of Texas. She continued her work as a mental health manager at St. Mary's Hospital, Charter Plains Hospital, University Medical Center, and South Park Hospital. Most recently, she was in private practice as Senior Therapist at Gateways Counseling Center, where she specialized in patients with multiple personalities. In addition, she has contributed to other young professionals as an instructor at Mount St. Mary's College in Maryland and at the Texas Tech Business School and Medical School.

Her friends, family, colleagues and patients have described her as calm, caring, and nonjudgmental of those she cared about personally or took care of professionally. She was also known to have an exceptional sense of humor and could find the spark of laughter in any situation. During her free time, Starr loved to work on her garden and was justifiably proud of her rose bushes. She loved movies, read every kind of book voraciously, enjoyed a frog and unicorn collection, and even followed the theater in Lubbock after her son persuaded her to step onto stage for a role in one of his theatre's plays. She proudly watched her son, Erik, graduate from Northwestern University and University of Southern California and become a director and screenwriter in Los Angeles, California. She equally proudly watched her daughter, Eden, graduate from University of Houston, Texas Tech University and the University of Wisconsin at Madison and become a professor of entrepreneurship at Bradley University. Throughout her life, Starr believed passionately that her husband and children should follow their dreams and supported them with love and help as they did so.

Starr will be lovingly remembered by her husband, John D. Blair; son, Erik John Blair; and daughter Eden Starr Blair.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Starr's name to the National Kidney Foundation Living Donor Program at www.kidney.org.

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