Starcher, Genevieve

Passed: 1992-02-21

Age: 89

Source: Jackson Herald

Death Notice: 1992-02-26

Obituary Date:

Information: Funeral services for Ripley businesswoman, Genevieve Starcher, 89, will be held Friday morning, 11 a.m., at St. John's Episcopal Church, Ripley, with the Rev. Elizabeth A. Walker officiating.  Committal of Miss Starcher's ashes will follow the service at the family plot at Pine Hill Cemetery.  Miss Starcher died early Friday morning at Jackson General Hospital.  She had been transported there by ambulance shortly before she died.  She was chairman of the board of United National Bank of Ripley.  She was an educator and retired in 1968 as director of the West Virginia Division of Teacher Preparation and Professional Standards, where her leadership extended to the national level.  Innovations initiated by her in teachers standards were adopted by many other states.  In 1962, she was elected president of the National Association of Teacher Education and Certification.  She served as a teacher education consultant in 20 states.  Miss Starcher completed her undergraduate collegiate work at Florida Southern College and her graduate work at Columbia University and the University of Chicago.  She was awarded an honorary degree at Morris Harvey College.  She taught at Ripley High School prior to her employment in 1933 with the West Virginia Dept. of Education. She was a lifelong member of Saint John's Episcopal Church in Ripley, where the Parish Hall was named in her honor.  She was serving on the committee for the new addition to be built on the church lot this spring.  She organized and served as the first president of the Jackson County Historical Society.  She initiated the restoration of Ripley's Early Settler Cemetery and gave Heritage House to Cedar Lakes Conference Center.  She served as president of the Woman's Club of Ripley and was a past member of the Parkersburg Community College Advisory Board.  Miss Starcher created the Genevieve Starcher Educational Foundation as a means of improving the quality of living in Jackson County.  In October, she announced that the trust was in excess of $350,000.  At that time, she stated that the trust ""shall be to improve the quality of life in Jackson County, West Virginia and particularly in the area served by Ripley High School, providing gifts, grants, scholarships and other forms of financial assistance.""  Miss Starcher was the daughter of the late Samuel and Willia Keenan Starcher.  She was preceded in death by her brother, Dr. Camden Starcher.  She is survived by three nieces, Lynne Starcher, Emily Ann Pace, and Mary Camden Starcher.  The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to St. John's Episcopal Church, P. O. Box 558, Ripley WV.  Vail Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.  There will be no visitation.