William Starrs Jr.

Family-Placed Death Notice

STARRS, William, Jr. William A. "Bill" Starrs Jr. William Aloysius "Bill" Starrs Jr., 78, of Tucker, died March 21, 2012 at Hospice Atlanta. Born in Savannah and raised in Jacksonville, Fla., he was a 1952 graduate of St. Paul's Catholic High School in Jacksonville and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial management from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1958. During his time at Georgia Tech, Bill was a member of the Newman Club and was involved in the Georgia Power Company's co-op program, where he would attend school for a quarter and work for a quarter. It was also in Atlanta where he met Angela Reynolds, and they were married on March 2, 1957 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Bill and Angela have four sons. Bill worked in a host of sales and marketing positions at Georgia Power in Atlanta and Rome for 35 years and retired in 1989. In the realm of community service, Bill was a longtime member of the DeKalb County Jaycees and served as that organization's president in 1969. Upon retirement, he was an active member of the Georgia Power Ambassadors and held a variety of leadership positions with the Atlanta Woodcarvers. He was also a dedicated supporter of the DeKalb County chapter of Habitat for Humanity and served as a project manager for several builds. Bill was a member of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Atlanta for more than 40 years and served as a Eucharistic minister and lector. He was a frequent presence at Holy Cross both before and after retirement, constructing street signs and helping with general maintenance. He also spent several years working with the Friends of St. Martin de Porres, a ministry committed to assisting the homeless and needy in Atlanta. In addition to his enthusiasm for woodcarving, Bill enjoyed sports (especially the Yellow Jackets, and the Braves, Thrashers and Flames), sailing, reading from his voluminous library of World War II books, traveling, and after retirement could often be found in the early mornings fishing at Stone Mountain Park. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Angela Reynolds Starrs; four sons, William Aloysius Starrs III, of Tucker, Christopher Joseph Starrs and his wife Jessica B. Hunt of Athens, Timothy Michael Starrs of Tucker and Daniel Anthony Starrs of Tucker; sisters, Ann Parker and her husband Charles Parker of Hilton Head Island, S.C., Mary Lewis of Jacksonville, Fla., and Susan Thompson of Alexandria, Va.; sister-in-law Beverly Reynolds of Decatur and brother-in-law Bill Reynolds and his wife Ann of Watkinsville; and a host of cousins, nephews and nieces. The family will receive friends at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 22 and the Rosary will be recited. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 23 at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 3773 Chamblee-Tucker Road, Atlanta, Ga., 30341. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Martin de Porres Food Pantry or the St. Vincent DePaul Society, in care of Holy Cross Catholic Church. R.T. Patterson is in charge of the arrangements.