Samuel Robert Starr Obituary (2006)

Samuel Robert Starr, age 47, of Bexley, died on December 31, 2006. Born March 12, 1959 in Saint Louis, Missouri. President and CEO of Sterling Commerce. Graduated from Bexley High School in 1977, The Ohio State University in 1980 and attended the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Columbia University. Previously employed by IBM, BankOne and Claremont Technology. Sam will be remembered by many for his performance as Tevye in the school production of Fiddler on the Roof as well as for his many athletic achievements. Sam was characterized by his constancy to duty in regard to both his family and his profession. His six children could not have asked for a more devoted and involved father. His wit, love of the Arts and continual search for challenges endeared him to all who knew him. Sam’s stellar career took him around the world, but his heart remained in his home and his yard. Sam was preceded in death by his parents, Irving and Sophie Starr and his parents-in-law, John and Catherine Hoffman. He is survived by his wife, Mary Ellen Hoffman Starr and their children, Margaret, Hannah, Eliza, John, Isaac and Abraham; his sisters, Jennifer and her husband Dr. Eugene Lesser and their daughter Isabelle, Lee and her husband Doug Arend and their daughters, Ruth and Sarah. Also survived by his aunts and uncles, Rivoli Starr and Nancy and Jerry Landau; cousins, Andrea Starr, Judy Starr (Mark), Seth Starr (Karen), Adam Landau (Patricia), and Joshua Landau (Beth); close friends, Bob Irwin, Seth Stearns and Jim Hendrickson; brothers and sisters-in-law, Joseph Hoffman (Felicia), Thomas Hoffman (Jean), Sister Margaret Hoffman, O.S.F., John Hoffman (Dee), Kathleen Brewer (John), Edward Hoffman (Tina), Susan Gruber (Matthew), William Hoffman (Darcy) and much loved nieces and nephews. Private family funeral at Epstein Memorial Chapel. Visitors may call at the family home on Tuesday, January 2 between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. or Wednesday, January 3 between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. A service of remembrance will be held at the Columbus Athenaeum, 32 North 4th Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215, at 4 p.m. on Thursday, January 11, 2007. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Sam’s memory to The Columbus Jewish Foundation, 1175 College Avenue, Columbus, Ohio, 43209. The family is grateful for the outpouring of kindness and support at this time.