Scott and Margie Stary Family Selected As Grand Marshalls

It was recently announced the Grand Marshalls of the 2022 Grand Parade are long-time Turtle Lake area residents, the Scott and Margie Stary family.

The Stary’s are well-known in Turtle Lake and the surrounding area. Scott and Margie were born and raised in Turtle Lake, graduating from Turtle Lake High School. Scott tragically passed away in 2021 from Acute Mylegenous Leukemia.

Scott was well-known for being a main-stay at Cornwall & Stary Hardware in Turtle Lake. The hardware store had been run by the Stary family for three generations, from the 1800s until the doors closed just a few years ago.

Scott was a big fan of cooking shows. One of his favorites was Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  Prior to passing away Scott and the family rented an RV and visited several of the venues featured on “Triple D”.

Margie is also well-known and respected in the Turtle Lake community with her more than 40 years of volunteering.

Margie continues to work casual at St. Croix Regional Medical Center, serving as the Hematology supervisor. The hematology department was responsible for analyzing the blood drawn from patients.  They would look for abnormalities in the blood cells such as leukemia lymphoma. There were about 35 people who worked in the lab.

Following high school, Margie attended UW-Eau Claire where she graduated with a major in Medical Technology. She also played trumpet in the UW-Eau Claire marching band.

Margie has spent countless hours volunteering for community organizations. She is a charter member of the Turtle Lake Lioness Club, holding numerous positions over the decades. She is also Chair of the Community Scholarship Fund, which began in 1964 and she took over in 1986.

Margie was an avid 10K runner back in the days and came up with the idea of  the Turtle Trot to raise funds for the Turtle Lake Preschool Playhouse.  She was on the Board of Directors at that time, 42 years ago.

Other positions Margie has held are President of the Music Boosters for 13 years at Turtle Lake High School and secretary for the School Booster Club for 15 years.

Nowdays, in her spare time you can find her golfing and playing the coronet with the Northwinds British Brass Band. The British Brass Band operates out of Rice Lake and performs Christmas concerts, a spring concert, the Spooner Veterans Memorial service as well as other events.

Scott and Margie had three children, Kelly, Mark and Amy, who all graduated from Turtle Lake High School.

Kelly is a second grade teacher at Northwestern School District, near Superior. She has been there for 20 years. Kelly and her husband, who is a junior high language teacher, enjoy remodeling homes in their spare time. They have two boys.

Mark is a gifted artist and musician, performing throughout the Wisconsin and Minnesota area.  Turtle Lake summer school students benefit from Mark’s talents as he has been the Turtle Lake summer school play director for the past 20 years, producing end of the year plays with the kids.

Owning two therapy dogs, Mark is very involved with Canine Inspired Change. Canine Inspired Change works with underprivileged schools and juvenile centers to help emotionally support children with the therapy dogs and inspire change.

Mark’s fiance also works as a Medical Technologist at the University of Minnesota as a blood bank specialist.

Amy owns and operates a graphic design company near Madison. Just recently Amy organized the 2022 SpiceFest, a fundraiser for the Leukemia Lymphoma society. Amy oversaw four events that were held in 2022, including Spice Fest in Turtle Lake in memory of her father, Scott. More than $100,000 was raised through the four events.

Amy’s husband is a Territorial Manager for J&J. They have one daughter.