In the days leading up to her death, Cherry Starr had agreed to help my daughter Katherine and me with a project we’re working on.
And, though we’ll always be sad we were not able to complete our interview with her, we are, as always, astounded by her grace.
Among the millions of stories you’ll hear about Cherry Starr’s grace, I’ll add these three:
She stood with her husband Bart in the freezing rain at Lambeau Field on a miserable Thanksgiving Day in 2015. They came to honor Brett Favre and no one would have faulted them for doing so from the comfort of a warm suite. But, they trudged on down to the field and cheerfully waved to us all. My sister Kathy and I, who just moments before had been complaining about the miserable conditions, will never forget the image of that gracious couple zipping around in those awful conditions with their stylish clothing and genuine smiles.
More recently, Cherry jumped right in to help a young man we know. She quickly made a few phone calls and gathered all the resources at her disposal to help put together a plan. Her commitment to Rawhide Youth Services, the ranch for at-risk young men she and Bart helped found in 1965, was far more than nominal or financial. They actively supported Rawhide for 60 years.
And, as I’ve written about before, she and Bart came to Appleton to visit my mom just a few weeks after my dad died. It would have been easy to send flowers or dash off a note, but they flew in to personally extend their condolences, which meant so much to all of us.
An A.E. Housman poem that my mom chose for my dad’s funeral called “To an Athlete Dying Young” talks about the name dying before the man.
That happens sometimes when athletes stumble, but it never did to either Bart Starr or his wife Cherry.
He left a legacy of dignity on the field and throughout his long and distinguished life. And she lived with elegance and kindness for more than 10 decades.
How lucky we Packer fans are to have two such graceful legends forever associated with our team.
A truly gracious lady who will be missed by both the communities of Birmingham and Green Bay. She truly was a special part of that off field camaraderie that existed among the Packer players of the 1960’s. RIP Cherry. Now you and Bart are together again.
RIP