Edwin Starrett, 94, the designer of precision tools who progressed to become the Chief Engineer of the L.S. Starrett Company, died on Saturday, Feb. 7, at the Indian River Medical Center in Vero Beach, with his family by his side.
He is survived by his wife Evelyne Starrett; daughter Martha Lynn Cormier, of Vero Beach; son Thomas Starrett, of Punta Gorda, Fla.; sister Emogene Anderson of Marshifield, Mass.; granddaughters Kim Pasonski of Duluth, Ga., and Kara Tusia of Rindge, N.H.; as well as his four great-grandchildren.
Born on March 17, 1920, the son of Emogene and William Starrett, he grew up with his sister and three brothers in Athol Mass. He was united in marriage to Evelyne Faulkner of White Plains, N.Y., in 1943.
After joining the U.S. Navy in WW II, he served with distinction on board the USS Spangenberg, DE 223, and saw duty in both the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea, completing his service as Machinists Mate First Class.
Returning to Athol, Mass., to begin his career with the Starrett Company after his Naval service, he was active in community affairs, providing leadership to the Boy Scouts, the YMCA, Public Works and the School Board. An avid boater, he built and then raced a sailboat with the Lake Monomonac Sailing Association during summers in Rindge, N.H. He also enjoyed skiing and served on the volunteer ski patrol at Stratton Mountain.
Upon retirement in 1978, he and his wife relocated to Vero Beach. They enjoyed international travel in Europe and the Caribbean. He also enjoyed working on antique cars, and was accompanied by his son, Thomas, on a trip in his For Model A Panel Truck which he had restored. They drove from Vero Beach to Hershey, Penn., and on to Essex, Conn.
Private services will be held at a future date in Athol, Mass.
Cox Gifford Seawinds Funeral Home and Crematory of Vero Beach is entrusted with arrangements.
