Emily Woodward Churchman Starr, Chestnut Hill philanthropist and former community relations executive, has died at 85
She was a fierce advocate for impoverished children and devoted to bettering her community.
Emily Woodward Churchman Starr, 85, of Chestnut Hill, a philanthropist and former vice president of community relations at Chestnut Hill Hospital, died Thursday, Dec. 15, of complications from ALS at Bishop White Lodge in Philadelphia.
Described as bright, formidable, and caring, Ms. Starr took a no-nonsense approach to her life’s work, which took her from Chestnut Hill to Mali as she transitioned from a lengthy career in fund-raising to work with nonprofits improving the lives of African schoolchildren.
Family-oriented, Ms. Starr devoted her life to her husband, five children, and seven grandchildren. Her daughter Alice Starr Wagg remembered her mother’s commitment to bettering the Chestnut Hill community that raised her and for her unwavering support of Philadelphia’s cultural institutions.
It was Ms. Starr’s natural charisma and connection to her community that led to her success in fund-raising for Chestnut Hill Hospital. Her daughter attributed this to her mother’s effortless gift for writing and unabashed ability to request donations from those in her network and beyond.
“She knew how people ticked, and how to appeal to the best of people,” Wagg said.
A descendant of John Welsh, a 19th-century Philadelphia merchant and diplomat, Ms. Starr had roots in the city that extended back centuries.
Ms. Starr’s passion for the city was on full-display in the final months of her life, when the Phillies fought through the baseball playoffs to secure a spot in the World Series. Alongside her daughter, Ms. Starr donned a jersey and fervently watched the team on television despite facing the realities of her declining health.
“The last six months of her life, she knew her condition was terminal,” said Wagg. “The run that the Phillies went on this fall was just a cherry on top for her end of days.”
It was after the last of Ms. Starr’s five children turned school-age that she decided to enter the workforce, first at a community newspaper, the Chestnut Hill Local, and later in public relations at Chestnut Hill Hospital. Gifted in the humanities, Ms. Starr majored in English at Radcliffe College, which was later absorbed into Harvard University.
Under Ms. Starr’s tenure at the hospital, her office swelled from a sole position to a team of 10 employees.
Ms. Starr remained committed to the hospital until her retirement in 2000, when she shifted her focus to other causes. In the new millennium, Ms. Starr fund-raised for organizations such as the Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (her alma mater), the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Museum, and the St. James School for students from under-resourced communities.
She also donated to international organizations, like the nonprofits Caravan to Class and Ashoka. The former organization devotes itself to advancing literacy and education to children and young women in Mali while the latter invests in young entrepreneurs throughout the world.
In Ms. Starr’s later years, she and her husband, Harold Page Starr, traveled to destinations as far as Myanmar and Mongolia, and often to visit children who benefited from her fund-raising. Her daughter estimated Ms. Starr traveled to between 50 and 60 countries in her lifetime, immersing herself in each destination’s cuisine and culture while supporting its local artisans.
Married to her husband in 1960 at age 23, Ms. Starr was remembered for her steadfast commitment she showed him as he battled dementia, which coincided with the last decade of her life. Throughout their marriage, the couple split their parenting responsibilities evenly and supported their children’s professional pursuits in mathematics, computer programming, and classical music.
Ms. Starr also took time to cultivate talents of her own. Later in her life, she took up photography and frequented the Philadelphia Zoo to photograph its animals, one image winning her an award in a local competition.
But despite her mother’s outsized interests and accomplishments, Wagg remembered the graceful way she balanced all areas of her life.
“She worked a very full-time job and was a real example to her children, but I think also to her peers and younger women,” Wagg said. “A mentor in that way — in how you can both have a fulfilling career and a fulfilling family life.”
In addition to her husband and Wagg, Ms. Starr is survived by a son, Harold Page Starr Jr.; daughters Elizabeth Starr Masoudnia and Edith Starr; and seven grandchildren. A son died earlier.
A service for Ms. Starr is to be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 22 E. Chestnut Hill Ave., Philadelphia.
Gifts in her memory may be made to the Isaac B. Starr ‘90 Memorial Fund at Germantown Friends School, which supports student-athletes in need. Checks are payable to Germantown Friends School with “Starr Fund” in the memo line, and can be mailed to Germantown Friends School, c/o Advancement Office, 31 W. Coulter St., Philadelphia, PA 19144.