Gary Allen Starr has a birthday today, February 28, 2012

Gary Allen Starr was born on February 28, 1976, in Salt Lake City, Utah. I remember the drive that morning from our home to the hospital and how tranquil the day appeared, with snow falling softly and very little traffic. For SLC very little traffic is one big miracle. Gary was scheduled to come into the world April 15, so I had permission to continue work at the Utah State Road Commission until March 15. When the pre-birthing signs were felt that he was beginning to make his entry into this world we were surprised. And for the next 42 years we have enjoyed a variety of surprises from him. He is a man with a subtle sense of humor and a determination to do well. When he was just over a year and a half old we moved from Utah to Washington where we have made our home for the last 40 years. 


Gary in hat -he was a shorty but with bulk

Gary is full of tease and has left many of us wondering at times exactly what he was going to do next.  In his teenage days he and a group of church boys formed a group called the "Cool Fools" in which they sang and did comedy acts.  One of the songs they amplified and sang was to the tune of "California Girls" but they changed some words and it became "Mormon Girls." For costumes they were dressed as beach boys with dark sunglasses, brightly colored Bermuda shorts over sweatpants.  He still enjoys performing in various ways, through karaoke, for the students of the high school classes he teaches when he wants to put across a point or help them to better understand the Japanese language, for church, and for his family’s entertainment.
One passion he had growing up was that he liked to "run."  He was a cross-country runner in school, and ran everyday come rain or shine. 

 He continues to run and enter marathon races with his children, while his wife is their backup and cheering person.
When he was nearing 19 years of age he came and told us he would like to serve a mission for the church.
He got his wisdom teeth pulled, interviewed with the stake president, put his papers in and decided he didn't want to go to Africa, so was relieved when he received his call to serve in Japan.  While there he
met his future wife Hiromi, and after he returned home it was not long before he was back in Japan.  He and Hiromi have two children who have included their comments below for their dad.  
We wish you a very Happy Birthday Gary. Have a fantastic week. Love, Mom

Departing for Japan from SLC International
Airport.  Grandma Nola Starr in background.



It's Happy Birthday Time
Jonathan M., Gary, Kenny R, Ray C, and
Eric C.




Grandpa Carl Starr, Grandma Nola Starr and baby Gary; front-Rebecca, Richelle and Lanny Starr in front of our house in Sandy, Utah

 

Hiromi's mom, Hiromi, Gary,
Shogo, Hiromi's dad, Elica

By Lanny H Starr
Gary was born on February 28^th, 1971. He was almost a Leap Year baby. He was our surprise baby. I had been informed by the veteran’s hospital in Salt Lake City that I was unable to have children due to my injuries and fever I had received in Viet Nam. Arlene and I decided we wanted more children and had decided to adopt. We had gone through the paperwork, home visits, and interviews and were just waiting for a child to become available. Arlene is not difficult to tell when she is pregnant as she spends most of the day being sick for the first few weeks. It was almost a certainty that she was in a motherly way but she went to our local doctor to be certain. He confirmed she was going to be a mother. There were a few mornings with strange looks across the breakfast table so I went to our local doctor and he confirmed I was a whole "man" again. He explained that I had been sick with a fever from a sickness I had had the last few weeks of my tour in Viet Nam. He explained the high fever had temporarily destroyed my ability to become a father. He further explained that after a period of time my ability to sponsor fatherhood had improved back to normal. Gary was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was able to witness his birth. His doctor was an older semi retired man who spoke in a calm easygoing manner. When Gary came into this world he was a dark blue color. I remember the doctor holding him up by the heels and lightly slapping his little behind. He started to turn pink all the way from his head to his toes and he cried very loud. Arlene required stitches and I remember watching the doctor sew her up as we talked back and forth about fishing. You could tell he had delivered quite a few babies. I remember telling Arlene later that it was just like watching an old farmer sewing up a potato sack. I’m very proud of the man my son has grown into. He is a man in his own right. He has always been a hard worker and did his best in everything he did while growing up. He went on a mission to Japan where he met his wife and baptized her. I remember when he came home he was like a lost child and after we received a few phone calls from a young lady who spoke with very broken English it became apparent to me that she was more than just a friend. After being home for several weeks Gary told us he was going on a camping trip with several of his friends. What really happened was he flew back to Japan to ask this young lady’s parents for their permission to marry her. The years have proven this to be a very good decision on his part. They now live in Cheny, WA and Gary teaches languages in the high schools in Spokane, WA. Happy Birthday Son! We are very proud of you and what you have done with your life.

Love Dad

Means of travel when first engaged!



Things to do when first Engaged



 

Wedding in Japan

 

Reception at Rose Street Church in Moses Lake, Wa. USA

by daughter Elica Starr:

 A quickie-bio of Gary Starr by the most reliable of sources: his own teenage daughter. My dad is happily married to the lovely Japanese woman, Hiromi Starr, aka Mom. They still argue about silly things and make-up obnoxiously fast afterwards, like a teenage couple. And Dad always gives up the cone part of his ice creams since it’s like Mom’s favorite thing ever. The two of them enjoy taking nature walks and staying up late together and watching black and white TV shows while their kids are asleep, like The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Andy Griffith Show. Dad’s also an amazing Japanese and Spanish teacher at North Central High School. Plus, he has several online classes. He’s always writing and recording new songs for his students. Like, you know, those dorky little tunes that help you remember how to conjugate verbs in Spanish? But way cooler and sometimes as parodies to modern music. Like if Rosetta Stone and Weird Al had a baby. Speaking of music, my dad listens to stuff from the 60’s and the 80’s, especially songs by Billy Joel or from any of the Rocky Soundtracks. (Eye of the Tiger is like his signature workout song!) I’ve tried getting him to appreciate the modern tunes, but it’s pretty much a lost cause. His and Mom’s favorite song is "Always Drive a Cadillac" by the Everly Brothers. Oh, and we can’t forget Dad’s famous necktie collection. I lost track how many he has now, but it’s around the 200 mark. And they’re all crazy original—decorated in characters from Pokémon, Simpsons, Nightmare before Christmas, Ultraman, you name it! My Dad’s #1 hobby is undoubtedly gaming—which is pretty cool in a geeky sorta way. Like, he has his famous "top 99 games" list which he’s always editing, he own systems from the Super Nintendo to the Xbox 360 (some of which he owns back-ups or Japanese versions), and we’re subscribed to Nintendo Power and Game Informer. Recently our sweet bonding time has been playing Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion on the Xbox 360 together. All-in-all, my dad’s pretty much awesometacular, and I don’t use the term lightly. Love you and Happy Birthday!
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Anything and Everything about Gary A. Starr by his son, Shogo Starr

First thing first, my dad is a very unusual person. For example, he is probably one of the only people who would brag about their initials being GAS and has even made "Gasmaster" his official gaming name. Which leads to another point; my dad is probably one of the only people still alive who plays the Super Nintendo regularly and has a collection of games that goes into the triple digits. He even has a list of the top 99 games ever created and updates it regularly. Although I have to admit that the Super Nintendo is nice, I still argue that modern systems reign supreme. Anyway, another thing that defines my dad is the fact that sometimes it seems like he has no shame whatsoever…Like the time we walked into a mall and my dad screams "I’M BEAUTIFUL" in a high-pitched voice. I guess that’s better than being boring, but if any of my friends saw the horrible scene I just described, then I would claim to not know the strange screaming man and not have any relations to him whatsoever. Luckily, these incidents are few and far between. Another talent that my dad has is that he is really good at chess. I’ve haven’t been able to beat him yet but I’ve gotten close. If I ever beat him he said he’ll give my 100$ so I’ve been practicing often. Also, my dad is slightly obsessed with bananas. He says that they can cure every disease known to man and that if you eat one a day you’ll be immortal. Speaking of food, my dad likes to cook okonomiyaki, a Japanese dish that is kind of like a cabbage pancake, but tastes much better than it sounds. When we were in a restaurant in Japan, my dad said that the cook had no idea what he was doing and now he always cooks them himself at home. All in all, my dad is a weirdo, but is one of the awesomest weirdos ever.
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Gary does some memorable things every year. And this is one of the best from last year….
Shogo’s teacher kept this survey in his desk and sometimes he reads it and laughs, he said. Gary gives us so many fun times. We love you Gary, even you are still a KID!


Happy Birthday. Love Hiromi who is the only grownup in this family!!