Dr. Harold Starr, one of the last old-school family doctors as well as the Kelso Hilander team doctor for nearly four decades, was “the type of guy who gave a lot and never really wanted anything back,” said his best friend, Ed Laulainen.

His wife and children didn’t learn about some of his good deeds until after his death Feb. 13 at age 80. And there are even more they’ll remain unaware of, said Boyd Starr, one of his two sons.

“That’s just who he was,” he said. “He really shied away from any public attention or public recognition. That’s not what he did things for.”

Starr practiced medicine in this community for 38 years, bringing unhurried, compassionate care to several generations of families. Yet he was startled at the public reaction in 2001 when, at age 72, he announced his retirement.

“It didn’t register, at least to me, that I really was important to a lot of these people,” he told a reporter at the time.

At retirement, he was the oldest doctor in the PeaceHealth Medical Group. The head of the group at the time, Dr. Robert Gaubatz, described him then as “probably the last of his generation of family doctors.”

He was born April 24, 1928, in O’Dell, Texas, to Lawrence P. and Maggie (Vassey) Starr and moved to Longview to establish his medical practice in 1962.

“He was in the Army (during the Korean War), stationed at Fort Lewis, and he liked the Northwest,” said his wife, Jean. “He liked that area and he wanted to live there.”

He went to medical school at the University of Texas in Galveston and retained his soft Texas drawl all his life. His son, Boyd, said his father sometimes got teased about it.

“Everyone who knows him will agree he was a very soft-spoken man, so soft-spoken that half the time you couldn’t understand what he was saying,” he said.

Practicing medicine was his passion, said his wife.

“He was kind, compassionate and he loved his work,” she said.

He delivered 1,500 to 2,000 babies during his career — including the children of children he’d delivered years earlier.

“Most of his patients dearly loved him and were so thankful for the way he cared for them,” Boyd Starr said. He said at his father’s memorial, he heard from many people.

“It didn’t matter what your background was, it didn’t matter what your financial situation was, Dad turned away no one. He treated everyone the same. … He treated everyone with respect, no matter who they were or what their background was. It didn’t matter to him. His job was to care for people, and the details would work themselves out.”

He met Ed Laulainen, then a rookie on Kelso High School football coach staff, in 1964 and became involved in what would be his favorite pastime, Hilander football. Known to players and coaches as “Doc,” he stood watch on the sidelines for 37 years.

“He enjoyed his work, he enjoyed working with the team and he enjoyed being around the young people,” his wife said.

“He’d rather give than receive, which was a great characteristic during all the years as team doctor,” Laulainen said last week. “He was an integral part of our coaching staff. Our players respected and loved him just as our coaches did.”

Laulainen said Starr often attended coaching conventions and clinics “and had a real interest and love for the game. Harold understood more about football than some coaches I have known through the years. He was constantly striving to learn more about the medical world.

“I truly loved the man for all the good things he stood for and will never forget our shared experiences,” Laulainen said. “If in one’s lifetime you are fortunate enough to have a friend such as Dr. Harold Starr, you should feel very blessed.”

In a 1981 interview, Starr told a Daily News reporter that if Kelso school officials ever tried to pay him to be team doctors, he just might quit.

“Because it’s a nonpaying job, a community service, the kids know you are there because you want to be and you are interested in them,” he said.

He also served as the adopted team doctor for the East-West all state football game for more than 20 years. The Washington State Football Coaches Association presented him with the Gold Helmet Award for his service and dedication to high school football.

Even before retirement, he spent as much time as possible with his grandchildren, his son said.

“Every Thursday was his day off. So every Thursday afternoon he was at the house to pick up the kids and take them on an adventure,” Boyd Starr said. “They went to every fish hatchery in Southwest Washington. They went on road trips for ice cream. It was a really neat thing for the kids and a blessing for my wife.”

Dr. Starr is survived by his wife, Jean (Lynch) Starr; two sons, Wade and Boyd Starr; a daughter, Tara Starr; a sister, Peggy (Starr) Paronto; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.