Starr Ward

FLORENCE Anne Starr Minton Ward, 71, died Sunday, April 12, 2015, at McLeod Hospice House after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Funeral services will be at 2:00 p.m., Monday, April 20, 2015, at Central United Methodist Church with burial following in Mount Hope Cemetery, directed by Waters-Powell Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., Sunday, April 19, at Central United Methodist Church.

Mrs. Ward was born in Miami, FL, a daughter of the late James Royster and Bobbie Lee Clegg Minton. She earned her bachelor and masters degrees in Music from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Mrs. Ward taught private violin lessons throughout her career.

Starr was a member of the Florence Symphony Orchestra since coming to Florence in 1974. She also served as concertmistress for fifteen years. Mrs. Ward was a founder of the Suzuki Violin Program in Florence, and was a past president of the Florence-Darlington String Association. She also helped spearhead efforts to create the Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center in downtown Florence.

She was an active and dedicated member of Central United Methodist Church, who served in many lay leadership roles, including the Lay Leadership Church Council, Congregational Care Service, and Executive Board of the United Methodist Women. Mrs. Ward was a member of the church music ministry as well as the Masterworks Choir in Florence.

She was predeceased by her parents, and a sister, Lauren Rosemond.

Mrs. Ward is survived by her husband, Dr. Benjamin K. Ward; her son, Pastor David (Angie) Ward of Indianapolis, IN; her daughter, Karen Ward (Jeff) Glenny of Atlanta, GA; her sister, Kathryn (Wayne) Holliday of Blowing Rock, NC; five grandchildren, Montana Glenny, Olivia Starr Glenny, Ryan Glenny, Taylor Ward, and Jamison Ward; her brother-in-law, Larry Ward of Norfolk, VA; and her sister-in-law, Debbie Hughes of Goldsboro, NC.

Memorials may be made to The FMU Performing Arts Center Starr Ward Garden, 201 S. Dargan Street, Florence, SC 29506; Central United Methodist Church, P. O. Box 87, Florence, SC 29503; or to The Florence Symphony Orchestra, 135 S. Dargan Street, Florence, SC 29506.

.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Starr Ward, please visit our floral store.