Ehren Starks

Ehren Stanley Starks, of Kansas City, MO, passed away suddenly on the morning of March 17, 2018.  Ehren was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on April 12, 1982, to Stephanie Ann (Fisher) Starks and Richard S. Starks, II. He attended Indian Creek Elementary in Kansas City, MO, and Overland Trail Middle School and Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, KS. After graduating from Blue Valley North in 2000, Ehren went on to earn a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Art History from the University of Kansas.  Throughout his grade school, middle school and high school years, he participated in numerous sports, including soccer, baseball, basketball and tennis. However, he most treasured his time playing music.  Seeing his love for music, he was enrolled in piano lessons early on in grade school. He also played trumpet in middle school and in early high school, but the keyboards were what he excelled at most as he taught himself to play the organ, melodica, and more. He played with many local bands, starting in high school with JosePH. He went on to tour nationally with Kofax and with The Gadjits, and was with The Gadjits when they were signed by RCA in 2002. He also toured internationally with The Belles. He has been a member of The Roseline for the past several years and most recently, has been a member of two other bands – Brandon Phillips and the Condition and Other Americans. Ehren also released three albums - two works of solo piano and one of piano and cello. In addition to loving music, he also had a great appreciation for arts and letters. He amassed a great collection of vintage works of literature. When he wasn’t reading or playing music, Ehren honed other skills like woodworking and furniture building.  Ehren is survived by his parents, his sister (Andrea Starks-Corbin) and her husband and their daughter (Jared Corbin and Eleanor Corbin), his paternal grandmother (Jeanne (Porter) Russell), his uncle and his aunt (David and Tobi Starks), his aunt and uncle (Elizabeth (Fisher) and Terry Reid), seven cousins, and his beloved dog (Monty) and cat (Tanner).  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Midwest Music Foundation (Midwestmusicfoundation.org/donate). Please note Ehren Starks Memorial Fund in “Special Instructions”. Or, checks can be mailed to 532 Troost Ave, Kansas City, MO, 64106. The Foundation’s goals are to:

Strengthen musician’s health through wellness services and health care grants
Advance artists’ careers by providing performance and educational opportunities, and
Provide access to a growing network of industry professionals.

The visitation will be from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Saturday, March 24. The service will begin at 2:00 p.m., with a reception immediately following the service, all at the Johnson County Funeral Chapel.