Mary Evelyn Starr, born in Clarksdale, MS on May 5, 1965, passed away at her home in Sledge, MS on June 3, 2023.  She attended North Delta School and graduated from Lee Academy in Clarksdale.  Mary Evelyn graduated from Mississippi State University and earned her master’s degree from Memphis State in Anthropology.  Later in life she studied drafting and surveying at Northwest Community College and was self-taught in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.  From childhood she would follow her Daddy around searching for arrowheads and decided then she wanted to study archeology.  She worked in many places across the United States and had several articles published.  At the time of her death, she was employed with Archeology Mississippi, Inc.  Among her numerous accomplishments, Mary Evelyn was very instrumental in restoring and revitalizing the historic Springhill Cemetery in Hernando, MS.  She worked with several departments at Northwest Community College including Civil Technology, Welding and the Art Department to accomplish the restoration. To quote Mary Evelyn, “I may be ignorant of many things, how to wear high heels, how to train a birddog, why anyone would own a TV set, or why anyone would wear black lipstick, but politics and history are the LAST things I am ignorant about as they are my main obsessions in life.”  She leaves to cherish her memory her mother, Marilyn Canon Starr of Sardis, MS, sister Joanna Starr (Richard Philippi) of Flagstaff, AZ, sister-in-law, Cayce W. Starr of Senatobia, niece, Christian Starr Continenza (Daniel) of Chagrin Falls, OH, nephews James Elisha Starr of Oxford and Samuel Tucker Starr of Senatobia and great-nieces, Isabella Starr Continenza and Sophie Noelle Continenza of Chagrin Falls, OH her aunt, Myra Hillhouse (Glenn) of Charleston, MO and her uncle, Robert Canon (Glenda) of Clarksdale, MS.   She was preceded in death by her father, Frank Raynor Starr, Jr. and her brother, James William “Bill” Starr.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, June 10 at Marks Cemetery in Marks, MS at 1:00 pm. In the event of inclement weather, the service will be held at Kimbro Funeral Home in Marks.

Donations may be made to the Sardis Public Library, the Sam Lapidus Memorial Library in Crenshaw, MS, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History or the charity of the donor’s choice.