Catherine M. "Cathy" Staran

Catherine ("Cathy") M. Staran, age 66, of Farmington Hills, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by her loving family, on Saturday, October 11, 2025, after a brave and difficult fight with cancer.

Cathy was born November 23, 1958, in Dearborn, MI, the daughter of the late Marlene and Ronald Richards.

Cathy was a 1976 graduate of Cherry Hill High School, Inkster, MI, and a 1982 summa cum laude graduate of Henry Ford Community College, Dearborn, MI.

Homemaker; hockey, soccer, and baseball mom; former fitness instructor; and longtime administrative assistant at Farmington Public Schools.

Parish member and former catechist at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church.

Cathy is the beloved wife and soulmate to surviving husband John D. Staran, whom she married on August 7, 1982, at St. Anselm Catholic Church, Dearborn Hts, MI; beloved mother of Rachel (Ashleigh) and Maxwell (Evelyn); dear grandmother of Adrian and Rafael; cherished sister of Donna Sadowski (Chuck), Ron Richards, Jr. (Vicki), George Richards (Suzanne), Tom Richards (Victoria), Tim Richards (Jodi), Marcia Richards and Jennifer Tobias; fond Aunt to many nieces and nephews.

Cathy was a loving, selfless, and devoted wife, mom, grandmother, sister, and friend. Even in the face of adversity she maintained her pleasant smile and positive, cheerful demeanor into her final days. Cathy touched everyone who knew her with her kindness, warmth, and grace. Now gone from our sight, but forever she will live on in our hearts and minds. May she rest in peace.

The Staran family will receive friends Thursday, October 16, 2-8 pm at the funeral home, with a rosary service at 7 pm.

A funeral Mass celebrating Cathy's life will be Friday, October 17, 11 am (in state 10:30 am), St. Gerald Catholic Church, 21300 Farmington Rd, Farmington, MI

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that donations be made as a remembrance to Cathy to the following cancer organizations:

Henry Ford Health Game On Cancer Fund or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Please keep the Staran and Richards families in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my

side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze

and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of

beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until

at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud

just where the sea and sky come to mingle with

each other. Then someone at my side says:

"There, she is gone!"

"Gone where?"

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large

in mast and hull and spar as she was when she

left my side and she is just as able to bear the load of

living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And

just at the moment when someone at my side says:

"There, she is gone!" There are other eyes watching

her coming, and other voices ready to take up the

glad shout: "Here she comes!"

And that is dying...

- A 19th Century Funeral Sermon -