Cherry Starr, who died on Tuesday at age 89 in Birmingham, was more than the wife of “America’s Quarterback.”

Married to Bart Starr for 65 years until the Pro Football Hall of Famer’s death in 2019, Cherry Starr and her husband were sometimes referred to as “The First Couple of Wisconsin” despite their roots in the South.

That’s because, in addition to Bart Starr’s championship play for the Green Bay Packers, Cherry Starr was deeply involved with her husband in charitable ventures, including Rawhide Youth Services, which announced her death on Tuesday.

Founded in 1965 as the Rawhide Boys Ranch, Rawhide Youth Services states its mission is “to help hurting and at-risk youth discover the hope of a healthy and fulfilling life.”

Rawhide released a video in memory of Cherry Starr.

In 1965, Bart and Cherry Starr backed the vision of John and Jan Gillespie for the Rawhide program, giving it instant credibility in Wisconsin. But they did more than lend their names to the project — Bart Starr raffled off the Corvette he had received as the Super Bowl II MVP to make the down payment on Rawhide’s campus in New London, Wisconsin – and they remained supporters throughout their lives.

Cherry and Bart Starr also spent more than four decades as the honorary chairpersons of the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation after the death of the quarterback’s coach with the Packers and, through the Starr Children’s Fund, raised millions to help in the battle against pediatric cancer.

The Starrs met at Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery and married in 1954 when Cherry Starr was attending Auburn and Bart Starr was attending Alabama.

Cherry Starr is survived by her son Bart Starr Jr., three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her son Bret in 1988 at age 24.

The family asks that memorial donations be made to a charity of your choosing or to the Bart and Cherry Starr Foundation (2647 Rocky Ridge Lane, Birmingham, AL 35216).

Packers President Mark Murphy released a statement about Cherry Starr.

“The Packers Family is deeply saddened today to learn of the passing of Cherry Starr,” the statement read. “She will be remembered for her warmth, kindness and great sense of humor. Her generosity and support of the community, both here in Wisconsin and Alabama, is greatly appreciated by so many.

“Cherry was particularly passionate about carrying on Bart’s legacy of supporting each new generation of quarterbacks, as Bart and then Cherry wrote letters to so many around the league. I know the players cherished those notes of encouragement.

“We share our most sincere condolences with Bart Jr. and the entire Starr family.”

To capture the spirit of Cherry Starr, Richard Ryman related a story in the Green Bay Press-Gazette of two brothers who harangued their parents into taking them to the Starrs’ house during the quarterback’s heyday. The boys went to the door alone and were told by Mrs. Starr that her husband was still at the stadium. But she invited the boys in, showed them a collection of Packers memorabilia, gave them photos of the quarterback and told them if they came to training camp the next day, she would introduce them to her husband and get them autographed.

Fifty years later, one of the boys ran into Bart Starr at a restaurant and begin to relate the story to him. When he got to the part about knocking on the Starrs’ door, Bart Starr interjected: “And she let you in, didn’t she?”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.