Louis Eugene 'Gene' Startzman

Louis Eugene “Gene” Startzman, born June 8, 1940, went to Heaven on Feb. 14, 2025, surrounded by his family. He was born in Tiffin, Ohio, to Louis and Alice Startzman. He earned his B.A. from Heidelberg College in 1962 and his M.A. from Ohio University in 1963. From 1963 to 1966, he worked as a graduate fellow at Ohio University. From 1966 to 1967, he taught as an instructor at Ohio University. He earned his Ph.D. from Ohio University in 1970.

Gene met his wife, Mary, in 1959 and married in 1966. They moved to Berea, Kentucky, in 1967 when he accepted an offer as an instructor at Berea College. He would establish himself at Berea as an esteemed and ardent literature professor. He rose through the ranks from instructor to full professor, eventually serving as English department chair.

Gene loved teaching Shakespeare, Dante, Milton, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Tolkien, and Flannery O’Connor, to name only a few of his favorite authors. He had many interests and hobbies and was delighted to share them with his family (and friends and students!). He drew inspiration from the magical garden his beloved wife grew from scratch when they finally purchased their forever home. He enjoyed sharing his love of movies, TV shows, and comic books with his sons, delighting in Marvel and DC stories and more. He and his daughter were fascinated with astronomy, frequently exchanging news of meteor showers, eclipses, comets, and other star-gazing-worthy news. The family always had at least one dog, but his favorites were the miniature dachshunds Pookie and later Simon. He studied the Psalter continuously, reading a Psalm a day in chronological order and repeating this cycle year after year with his best friend and godfather to their children.

In addition to his love of reading and teaching literature, Gene was a devout Catholic. He was a parishioner of St. Clare Catholic Church. He pursued truth, beauty, and goodness through his studies and publications. He authored articles in Christianity Today, Christianity and Literature, The Cresset, and Christianity and the Arts. He wrote editorials on faith and love for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He maintained an active membership in the Dante Society of America until his passing.

Gene had a wonderful sense of humor and frequently enjoyed sharing his humor with his colleagues in and out of the classroom and with his family and friends. He began expressing his love of words and the gift of prose by writing and leaving phone poems on the family answering machine. These poems became tantalizing bites that encouraged regular weekly phone calls from friends to hear his newest creation. With an endless supply of material inspired by his faith, family, pets, and more, and encouraged by the ever-growing number of calls to the house, he published two books, The Phone Poem Book, Simple Gifts, and The Phone Poem Book, Occasional Verse. His third book, Take Me to Your Feeder, is a children’s book inspired by his wife’s bird feeders and illustrated by his son, Michael.

Gene retired from Berea College in 2008. He is preceded in death by his granddaughter, Isabelle Rebekah Startzman (1998). He is survived by his wife, Mary E. S. Garcia Startzman, son, John-David (Erin Kennedy Startzman), son, Michael (Katie Poulette Startzman) and their sons Julian and Avery Startzman, and daughter, Johanna K. G. Startzman Wray (James Wray).

Gene was loved by many and will be missed immensely. In honor of Gene’s commitment to supporting charities that seek to do God’s work in caring for those in need, donations may be made to Room in the Inn Berea. Donate: https://www.ritiberea.org/index.htm

Mass of Christian Burial will be 1 p.m. Tuesday Feb. 18, 2025, at Saint Clare Catholic Church with Father Alfredo Basualdo presiding. Burial will follow at the Berea Cemetery. Pallbearers are Michael Startzman, John-David Startzman, Bobby Wray, Julian Startzman, Avery Startzman, Andrew Ogg. Honorary Pallbearer is Fred DeRosset. Visitation will be 6-8 p.m., Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at Davis & Powell Funeral Home. Rosary will begin at 7:30 p.m. 

Davis & Powell Funeral Directors in charge of arrangements. www.davisandpowellfuneralhome.com