Resident of Marin

Carmen Starr Liston, 91, passed away peacefully at home on April 22, 2025, in the company of a dear friend.

The oldest of four children, Carmen was born in Oakland, California on May 8th, 1933, to Adaline (née Eddy, remarried as Howard) and Allan Starr. She lived in Piedmont and went to grammar school there, then attended the Anna Head School in Berkeley, the Hamlin School in San Francisco, and the Katharine Branson School in Ross.

When Carmen wasn’t in school, she was at the family ranch near Mission San Jose, where horseback riding and roundups were away of life and source of joy. She graduated from Piedmont High School, where she was once named “Queen of the Carnival,” and attended UC Berkeley where she met her first husband, George C. Johnson, of Concord, California.

Her daughter Milo was born in 1960. As amember of the East Bay Junior League, Carmen volunteered as a tutor in the Alameda Unified School District. In 1969 the family moved to Marin County, where Carmen lived for almost the rest of her life.

Soon after moving to Marin, Carmen returned to the passion of her youth: horses and riding. She and George were members of the Los Altos Hunt Club, and she competed in shows in the North Bay. Carmen had a side business trailering her friends’ horses to shows whether she was competing or not. In the early 1970s they purchased a large tract of land in Nicasio near the town square and slowly built Windfield Station, a full service equestrian facility hosting shows and clinics with a deluxe boarding stables. When it opened Windfield Station had largest indoor ring in Northern California. Carmen was a beloved member of the Bay Area equestrian community.

Eventually George and Carmen divorced, and Windfield Station was sold. Carmen’s second husband was Neil Liston, a local musician, and they lived a merry life in Fairfax, where Carmen took up music, the second passion of her youth. She played piano for fun and volunteered with Meals OnWheels.

After Neil’s passing in 2003, Carmen lived briefly in Southern California, but she always preferred the northern part of the state, especially the natural beauty of Marin. She loved being outdoors. Having lived in Belvedere, Tiburon, Larkspur, Nicasio, Fairfax, and Mill Valley, she spent her last years in Corte Madera in the company of her devoted friend Matthew. Carmen was always health conscious: eating well, exercising regularly, and receiving weekly acupuncture treatments. She loved reading and was studying piano right up until a few months before she passed. Carmen was very fond of animals and had many pets in her life: dogs, cats, and even a goat named Gladys.

She is survived by her daughter Milo Starr Johnson of San Francisco, dear friend Matthew, a beagle named Sam, and also by her three siblings: sister Eddy Ancinas of Olympic Valley and her family, Peter Starr of Fremont and his family, and Allan and Janet Starr of Ketchum, Idaho.

She is predeceased by her first husband, George C.

Johnson.

Services will be private. Donations may be made to the Sierra Club or Meals On Wheels Marin.