Mary Starr

2 weeks ago | coastalillustrated.com | Mary Starr

Every year at Father’s Day, my thoughts turn to my dad. In his later years he was frail, his mind confused by complications caused by multiple strokes and dementia. But, I choose not to concentrate on that version of him. My memories are centered on the dad of my childhood, who was not perfect, but perfect for me. Norman, aka Dad, a World War II veteran who fought in Northern Africa, Sicily and Italy under the late Gen. Mark Clark, was neither big nor loud. He was small, soft-spoken, smart and kind.

2 weeks ago | coastalillustrated.com | Mary Starr

Please tell us about your family: I’ve been married to my husband, Brad for 15 years. We have three boys, Cope, 12, Will, 10, and Smith, 5. My parents, Jane and Jim Watson, have lived here since the 1970s. I have two brothers, Justin and Kirk Watson. Justin lives in Savannah with his family, and Kirk lives on St. Simons with his family. I’ve got aunts and uncles and cousins here too, which is wonderful. I’m really thankful to have so much family so close. How long have you lived in the Golden Isles?

2 weeks ago | coastalillustrated.com | Mary Starr

When Anna Jarvis established the first Mother’s Day observance in 1908, Sonora Smart Dodd wasn’t far behind her. Dodd, who was inspired to create Father’s Day after hearing a Mother’s Day sermon, decided to honor her Civil War veteran father, who raised her and her siblings after their mother’s death. The first observance of Father’s Day was in 1910 at a YMCA in Spokane, Washington.

4 weeks ago | coastalillustrated.com | Mary Starr

There are unique cultural pockets throughout the United States and Coastal Georgia is no exception. The Gullah people here are descended from enslaved Africans who worked on plantations in the Low Country. Through the more than 300 years since Africans were trafficked from their homelands to slave markets in the South, they have retained their cultural heritage and continue to contribute to the rich tapestry of the United States.

4 weeks ago | coastalillustrated.com | Mary Starr

Hawkins Island is one of those idyllic spots that one often dreams about but doesn’t believe is quite real. The neighborhood, on St. Simons Island, is surrounded by marshes, a river and tidal creeks and is home to lush greenery, mature trees and an assortment of the types of critters one might expect to find in a coastal environment.