Ron Starr lost his battle with cancer, which began in 2001, early Tuesday morning.

Starr gave the past decade of his life serving the community with his wife Colleen through Vine Maple Place, a non-profit that provided transitional housing and services to homeless single parents and their children, while spending much of his time fighting off a slow growing neuroendocrine carcinoid tumor, according to a CaringBridge website the Starr family set up in September.

The tumor was in his intestine and spread to his liver. For eight years there was no significant growth or spread of the cancer and Ron Starr enjoyed good health until late 2009 when the cancer became more active and stopped responding well to treatment.

In August, a CT scan showed the original tumor had grown and new tumors had shown up.

During this past year, Vine Maple Place has celebrated its 10th anniversary while Ron Starr fought cancer.

Ron and Colleen Starr took on running VMP in 2000, which started out with the support of nine local churches, and helped get the organization its nonprofit status as well as coordinated efforts to refurbish buildings it had purchased so they eventually could be used as apartments for the families they would serve.

Tina McDonough, who described the Starrs as “one of the biggest mentors of my life,” was also a major supporter of Vine Maple Place.

“The words that come to mind when I think of him is compassion, love, respect, giving, caring,” McDonough said. “He’s been there for me, both him and Colleen, for many, many years. He leaves a legacy with Vine Maple Place. They just had that huge passion for that, for helping homeless families and children.”

McDonough noted that Ron Starr did not take a paycheck for his work at VMP and that he gave 60 to 80 hours a week without receiving a penny. His wife would donate her paycheck back to the non-profit.

For six years McDonough has supported VMP after she heard about it at her church. She had always wanted to support homeless families.

“I went in one day and said, ‘Put me to work,’” she said. “It’s huge to be here right in our own back yard and to know that their lives are being changed every day.”

McDonough said she and her husband, Cory, visited Ron and Colleen Starr on Thursday to say their goodbyes. She explained that the Starrs’ faith in God was evident during that visit.

“He and Colleen are truly about the Lord, so, I know that Ron was at peace,” she said.

And while VMP was an organization supported by churches, it was also supported by the local business community among other organizations.

Linda White found out about VMP at a Maple Valley-Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce meeting in 2004. She went to a volunteer orientation that same evening then her first job, so to speak, was helping re-organize a storage shed which was packed full of donations.

Ron Starr oversaw the project.

“I’ve been involved with them ever since,” White said. “He was such a big teddy bear, he loved everybody. He was so full of life.”

When White first began volunteering, before she knew the Starrs well, Colleen told her that Ron was on a diet. Yet every time White met with Colleen Starr at Taco Time in Maple Valley for lunch, Ron Starr would stop by.

“He would pop in, have lunch, a quick prayer,” White said. “It will be hard to go have lunch with Colleen at Taco Time knowing he’s not popping in.”

Ron Starr told the Reporter in February that being Christian “defines who we are but not who we serve.”

As of February, VMP had helped 191 parents and children, according to information provided by Colleen Starr.

“Vine Maple Place is such a legacy for him to leave behind,” White said. “He’s left it in very good hands.”

Reach Kris Hill at khill@maplevalleyreporter.com or 425-432-1209 ext. 5054.

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