On the morning of January 9, 2020, Melissa (Lisa) Kay Watkins Starr passed away at her home in Portsmouth, VA. She was born October 27, 1959 in Eden, NC to Huey and Edna Harvey Watkins.

Melissa graduated from Guilford College with a Bachelor of Arts degree and from Old Dominion University with a Master of Arts degree. Early in her career, Melissa worked for various newspapers and magazine publications in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia including the “Eden Daily News” and “Reidsville Review”. She primarily wrote feature stories highlighting people’s interests and accomplishments. During the last fifteen years, she worked as an editor and writer for Author Solutions. Her true passion was writing. She wrote novels, short stories, and poetry (free verse, haiku, and haibun). She was an award winning writer and poet with publications in various magazines and anthologies in the US as well as being an internationally published poet with publications in both Europe and Asia. Her most recent accomplishment was the publication of her novel “Indiscretions Along Virtue Avenue” which was released in December 2019.

She was always curious and had so many interests in life. Piano, photography, art, antique jewelry, collectible Barbies, and traveling.

She married Brett Starr, June 21, 1985. During their time together, they were able to travel throughout the United States and abroad to the countries of Sweden, Denmark, England, France, and Belgium.  Their most recent journey was a road trip from their home in Virginia across the country to the canyon lands of Utah and Arizona.

She is predeceased by her Mother. She is survived by her husband Brett, her father Huey, and numerous cousins, nephews, nieces, and friends.

Visitation will be January 22nd at Altmeyer Funeral Home’s Riverside Chapel in Newport News, VA from 6 pm to 9 pm. A second visitation will be held January 24th at Fair Funeral Home in Eden, NC from 6 pm to 8 pm. The funeral service will be Saturday, January 25th at 2pm at Trinity Wesleyan Church on Aiken Road in Eden, NC. Burial will follow at Overlook Cemetery in Eden.

Donations can be made to the Riverside Foundation by going to TMCFunding.com and making a contribution in Melissa's name.