Barbara Bruns Starr

Barbara Bruns Starr, creative and independent woman, caring wife, loving mother, grandma and great grandma fully lived her 95 years.  Spirited and traveled, she guided her family and motivated them to explore and question.  She passed away peacefully at Buckingham’s Choice on July 24, 2021.

Born on April 3, 1926 in Pelham, New York, Barbara was the daughter of Carl Herman and Augusta Wiedenbach Bruns.  As a child the family moved to New Rochelle, NY where  she graduated from New Rochelle High School spending her school years playing piano and taking tap-dancing lessons.  She worked on the school newspaper and was President of the Junior Women’s Club of New Rochelle.

In the summers Barbara and her older brother Bob, along with a passel of cousins, gathered at the grandparents’ retreat home, called Genehurst, on Squam Lake, New Hampshire.  Her grandfather August, called Ohpa, was often the leader of their many adventures and invariable story-teller who held his young audience enthralled with tales of Indians and early settlers.  Barbara spoke fondly of these summers.

Barbara went to Syracuse University and graduated with a B.A. degree in Psychology in 1948.  She worked on the school newspaper and was the president of her Pi Beta Phi Sorority.  Her daughter Lauren and granddaughters Courtney and Kristin also are Ph Phis.

Following graduation, Barbara worked for two years in Philadelphia, first for an advertising agency and then for the Ladies Home Journal.  In 1950 she went to Washington DC for a job with the Central Intelligence Agency.  She was posted in Japan, at the Yokasuka Naval Base, from 1950 to 1952 during the Korean War, as an information analyst.

In September 1954 she married Edward (Tim) Melvin Starr Jr.  They honeymooned in Mexico and in January 1955 were stationed in Japan.  In the following years, the couple and their growing family lived in the Philippines, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Romania and Turkey, interspersed with periodic assignments in Washington DC.  Lauren was born 1957, Christopher in 1961 and Jennifer in 1962.

Invariably involved at these various posts in civic activities, Barbara did Red Cross and hospital volunteer work, assisted at overseas American schools, and (in Turkey) travelled to remote villages with the bookmobile’s lending service.  During Washington sojourns she was active in the PTA board and with the American Field Service in providing service to foreign students.  After her husband retired, she participated in civic club work, the hospital auxiliary and the board of the Council of Aging.  She was also an active member of book and garden clubs and PEO.  Endowed with artistic talent, she did considerable work in decoupage, pottery, basket weaving, knitting and with stain glass.

In 1973 Barbara and Tim bought a cottage at Deep Creek Lake, MD.  Later expanded and winterized, this house became a favored retreat for the family.  Boating and swimming in the summer and skiing in the winter were augmented by hiking in the woods, summer-stock plays and local community activities.  Grandchildren and great grandchildren continue to enjoy the wonders of this area.

In retirement Barbara and Tim travelled abroad to China and Japan, in western and eastern Europe and to the Caribbean.  They moved to Annapolis and then to Frederick, Maryland.  Tim passed in 1991 and Barbara lived in Frederick until 2000 before moving to Buckingham’s Choice as one of the “Originals”.

Barbara was blessed with three children: Lauren Kremers of Frederick, MD, Christopher Starr of Dallas, GA and Jennifer Starr of Annapolis, MD; six grandchildren, Courtney Kremers Zash (Matt), Kristin Kremers, Jason Kremers (Katie), Logan Smith, Wyatt Smith and Nicholas Starr (Alexsis) and five great-grandchildren; Olivia Starr, Elizabeth Starr, Mackenzie Starr, Sienna Zash and Nolan Zash.

Barbara will not be forgotten.  She and Tim taught their children and grandchildren to understand history and the role it plays in our decisions; be open to all cultures, explore the world, question everything and find joy in each other and the simplicity of being together.  She will be sorely missed.

A memorial service will be help on August 28, 2021 at 10:30 AM at Mount Olivet Cemetery’s FSK (stone) Chapel in Frederick, MD. Memorial donations, in lieu of flowers, may be made to Color on the Creek, www.coloronthecreek.com .